An Interesting Twist
by Kayori Aechaa
Summary: Two unique, undiscovered progenitors of surprisingly high rank finally show themselves after over two thousand years. One is full of childish innocence and the other is more calm and stern, but Krul wants them both to avoid the games Ferid will want to play when they arrive. [ Rated M for violence and mature themes :) ] Crowley/OC centered, Ferid/OC
1. CH I

**Originally I promised myself that I would work on my existing series but... I'm the type of person that gets very distracted super-duper easily, so here's what happened...  
**

 **I was searching Tumblr the other night and came across a picture of some handsome male with striking blue eyes and a head full of blond hair. Come to find out (after letting my curiosity get the better of me), his name is Mikaela Hyakuya and is one of the main protagonists of a show I now bookmark as one of my favorites. Seeing as how he was so pretty, when I looked up the other characters and then watched the anime (I've also been reading the manga), I couldn't help myself. So, thank you Mika and random user whom I follow, for introducing me to a series that I have so very quickly fallen in love with! :D**

 **Not to mention, little Mika, you brought me face-to-face with the fucking man of my dreams (no shame). Crowley, you've just... Ugh. Hawt dayum.**

 **... I feel like I owe a certain Red King an apology now for saying that, but it doesn't matter! You can never like just ONE anime character. It's impossible.**

 **There are two original characters in this series, so it will jump from point of views often but I will make it clear as to who is being portrayed however they're usually going to be pretty close to one another either way. Just think of them as partners or sisters, if you will. :)**

 **NOTE; this was originally on my account on dA (deviantart), kayorisatou. Since it wasn't generating any interest, I figured I'd put it here and continue on since I have a few more followers on here than on dA. :)**

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 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH I;;**

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It was hard for Crowley to fully process what was going on when he'd gotten the letter from Krul Tepes demanding all progenitors of nineteenth rank and up join for a world-wide meeting. It was mandatory that all be present, including the illusive (and fabled) Second and Fifth progenitors from Canada. The thought of seeing their faces for the first time ebbed at his curiosity, though he wouldn't admit it aloud.

When he and his two aides arrived in the Capitol, they immediately headed for the auditorium to meet with Ferid, who had been patiently waiting for his faction members to join him at a vacant spot near the upper left of the entire room. He could even see the Queen's pet standing off to the side on a tier higher than where they sat, feeling slightly amused at how he'd always been given special privileges well over his rank.

Krul walked towards the railing to her balcony and watched as all of the nobles settled themselves in before looking forward, "We will be displaying all other nobles who are from different countries on the screen behind me. Do not think that you will go unpunished if you choose to act rudely or disrespect your superiors."

At her words, Crowley sighed and sat back with his arms crossed against his chest as he lifted both of his feet to rest on the back of the seat in front of him, crossing one ankel to rest over the other. Beside him, both Horn and Chess sat anxiously waiting for the presentation to begin.

Silence fell over the auditorium as the lights dimmed and the screen behind Krul began to glow. Each portion of the screen suddenly flickered and was replaced by a face as each noble appeared in their respective places. All was going well until Krul turned to look at the right-hand corner, noticing the spot designated for the Canadian progenitors was still dark.

Her eyes narrowed, "They know better than to ignore a summons from the Progenitor Council."

"Yes, yes," Suddenly a very friendly yet bored tone echoed, "We're here, although unimpressed that you've demanded to see our faces."

"Why wouldn't I?" Krul smirked, "You two have managed to remain hidden from the entire vampire world for over two-thousand years, so it's time you let us see your pretty faces."

As the dark screen went from dark to a vivid picture, Crowley couldn't help but suck his teeth back at the sight. At the sound of several gasps, he knew he wasn't the only one momentarily shocked by the sight.

The entire population of the highest ranking nobles hadn't fully expected to be met with two extremely beautiful women; one that looked no older than twenty and the other perhaps a couple years younger, matched with flawless features and stunning ruby eyes. The more matured of the two stood behind the couch the younger noble lazed on while she fiddled with her blond locks and waited with an impassive face. From what Crowley could see, she was rather slender with soft features and held a more regal air to her than her laid-back companion. Despite the limited view of her upper half not hidden behind the couch had shown, he could see she wore a more uniform, common noble attire that hugged her waist and accentuated her bust.

It was the younger of the two, however, that caught his attention.

She had uncharacteristically innocent air around her as she stared at the screen with wide eyes, almost reminding him of Chess in some ways. She also had black hair to match her ruby eyes, which in vampire standards was extremely uncommon. Pale and also very slender, he could tell she was very well endowed and had no issues flaunting it to the right person by the small grin pulling at her lips. He could also tell by her posture and by the way she regarded the Queen, that she wasn't exactly used to being in a position where she needed to exercise manners for her superiors, but that just made his grin widen and his curiosity quake.

It amused Crowley to no end when his eyes scanned her body to see she was wearing clothing that he could only picture a human wearing, being something very loose and comfortable to match the way she slouched against the arm of the couch she was currently laying on.

Krul crossed her arms and watched the two, "You've got to be joking."

The younger of the two looked at her and blinked innocently, "What is it, Queen Krul?"

"Don't use that fake tone with me," She glared, "What in the hell do you think you're doing presenting yourself to the Progenitor's Council in _pajamas_?"

She grinned slightly and winked, "Well, you see... I've been bored recently so to gain an even better relationship with my humans, I've decided to try adapting to some of their habits and this happened to be one of them from before the virus struck. Unlike us, they tend to favor comfort over style, which happens to be more my own virtue."

The glass Krul had picked up to drink from suddenly burst under the pressure of her fist as she snarled while the entire auditorium filled with chatter of disgust about a noble lowering herself to spending time with the petty humans.

The more mature looking of the two ignored the chatter coming from the nobles and sighed as she looked down at her companion, "I told you that Japan's Queen would be furious."

"We're in Canada," The younger looking female looked up at her and gave her a droll glare, "What can she do to me? I'm sure her troupes wouldn't even be able to touch one of ours, considering how ruthlessly I train them and the conditions they work under."

"That's not the point," Another sigh.

As the two bickered back and forth, Crowley's lips pulled into a wide grin and his eyes began to shine. He found the two to be highly amusing and wished to know more about them.

Chess shuffled in her seat and leaned over Crowley to look at Horn, "They remind me of us!"

Horn shook her head but there was a smile on her face.

Krul's brow twitched, "Stop talking like I'm not here!" Once the two looked to her again, she set her eyes on the blond behind the couch and tried not to glare, "Since we are familiar with each others titles, it's time for you two to finally reveal to the council who you really are so we can proceed."

The elder looking of the two, who was currently twisting a lock of her blond hair between slender fingers, spoke first, "I am Fifth Progenitor, Aries Marlo."

"And I'm Second Progenitor, Autumn Winters," The younger looking of the two, being the black haired beauty, smirked.

Immediately, outraged cries echoed around the room at Autumn's declaration.

"There is no female Second Progenitor! How dare she try and create a title for herself! Only Urd Geales is the Second Progenitor!"

"The nerve of that girl! She looks like she's a newborn and acts like one, too! Affiliation with humans have obviously stroked her ego!"

"How dare she insult us all by making such a bold declaration, and in front of our Queen and council, no less!"

" _SILENCE_!" Krul snarled, instantly hushing any and all who spoke, "I regret to inform you all, but that really _is_ the Second Progenitor, so show some respect!"

Autumn grinned and waved as she took in all of the shocked faces, "Don't worry, though. I know if I was in your shoes, I'd be a bit pissed too if some random girl that no one's ever seen before just boasted about their high rank in front of every noble in the world who was eligible for this conference."

From his spot to the side of Crowley, his aides and Feird, Mika couldn't hide the small grin that tugged at his lips. He inwardly chuckled, thinking about how immature she made herself appear but it was obvious she was well-seasoned and knew how to manipulate the room right into the palm of her hand.

"If you're really the Second Progenitor, then why aren't you Queen?" Lest Karr asked, his child-like expression amusing the young vampiress to no end.

She gave him her full attention and winked, "If you haven't noticed, I prefer to be a little on the lazy side and queenly duties are definitely anything, but."

"I suppose," Lest grinned, amused by her attitude when addressing him, "You are in charge of Canada, are you not? That seems like it would be an extremely difficult task, considering there are only the two of you as nobility in that entire country."

Autumn waved her hand, "Pah! This country follows in suit with how I feel, so there's no need to worry over the conditions of my control. My humans are well fed, housed properly, receive medical treatments when needed and have been given tasks to keep themselves busy. I see no issue in the system I have created, so I will continue to oversee this country how I personally see fit."

"Boldly spoken to an untested progenitor," Lest teased, hoping to gain a reaction from the girl but to his dismay, she simply continued to grin at him.

Krul watched the exchange and instantly assumed he would try to gain her favor, so she ushered the meeting to begin and mentally plotted a way to gain the two progenitors attention in order to bring them under her control. Seeing as how Autumn was the Second Progenitor, she held higher rank than herself despite being the Queen. It would much better in her situation to have such a formidable ally, knowing both her and the Fifth Progenitor were accurately described as extremely powerful combatants on the field.

Perhaps if she could somehow pique Autumn's interest, she may be able to sink her claws into the girl to bring her over to Japan, even more so knowing her companion was likely to follow. Krul knew if she could get them to step foot in her territory, that she would be completely successful in creating an alliance with them.

The situation called for patience, so she willed herself to gather what little she had to be set towards the two Canadian progenitors.

. . .

As the Progenitor Council meeting carried on, Crowley watched the two mysterious nobles on the screen with growing interest.

Autumn continued to pick at her long nails while Aries glared down at her and would mutter for her to show respect to the council, but it would simply earn her either a crude gesture from Autumn, or she would outright ignore her.

Crowley couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Perhaps if they visited Japan one day, he would find a way to steal the feisty black haired beauty from her companion long enough to figure out what type of woman she really was.

"That concludes this meeting," One of the elders said, "You are all dismissed."

Krul waved her hand in a very authoritative way, making several of the similarly ranked nobles glare at her ignorance but left the room without saying a word. Several of the screens went dark as each disconnected from the meeting, but she noticed that Autumn and Aries were still visible.

After thinking all of the nobles left the auditorium, Krul turned to face the two and crossed her arms. Unknown to her or the two on the screen, five pairs of eyes watched as they conducted their private chat.

"I assume that you've received my letter?"

Autumn grinned while Aries nodded, "You wished to speak to us privately after the meeting, so now's your chance. What is it you want, Queen Krul?"

"Since Canada is not affiliated with any of the other countries, I wanted to bring up a proposition and perhaps come to some sort of agreement to create an alliance."

Autumn's grin widened, "Oh?" She shifted and pushed herself up into more a of a sitting position, ignoring the fabric of her shirt that danced down her right shoulder to reveal a fair amount of pale skin, "I suppose it would be rude not to listen to what you have to say."

Krul grinned, "As you are aware, the Moon Demon Army that was originally founded in Japan is now reaching its arms out to the other countries. I'm sure if you haven't already come across them, you will eventually. They are formidable, even for human standards. Their elite members carry cursed gear that has been bonded with a demon, so I'm sure you can understand the problem that holds for all of us."

"We do, but we have already eliminated all of the resistance here," Aries crossed her arms under her bust, "Are you asking for aide, Queen Krul?"

The Queen fought to keep the tight pull from her lips and unfolded her arms, "Eight years ago when the humans created the apocalypse virus, I went around destroying all of the testing labs in order to crush their chances of gaining the upper hand, but it seems they've found a way to create a new Seraph."

"I don't think she answered your question, Aries," Autumn looked back at her companion, who glared at her and told her to respect the Queen and remain silent, "Fine, fine!"

"Second and Fifth progenitors, I'm offering you compensation for the troupes I am asking for," Krul got to the point, "I'm willing to negotiate terms after both sides have discussed what it is they want from this deal."

Krul smirked as Autumn's eyes began to shine with curiosity, "Oh? Is that so. Well then, I guess I could make some demands, although we were heading to Japan anyways."

That made the Queen falter slightly, "You were?"

"Mm," Autumn nodded, "Since Aries has recently passed her second millennium, I thought I would take her somewhere different. "

"What made you choose Japan?" Krul's brow rose as an amused tone flooded into her voice.

Aries looked at her, "You've heard of the immortal shaman, right? The one who has been traveling around and can see into the future? Well, we met him."

"And? What did he say?" Krul prompted, curious to know what such a famous man would have to say, having never had the chance to meet him herself.

Suddenly, a light pink touched Aries cheeks as she looked down at Autumn, who smirked and looked at Krul, "Apparently Aries and I have a couple of handsome fellows waiting for us in Japan. We know their names and everything."

This gave Krul an idea as she grinned, "Oh? And who might they be? Progenitors, I hope."

"Of course," Autumn leaned forward and let her elbows rest on her knees, showing off the lovely cleavage hidden beneath the dark fabric of her shirt as her bust was squeezed between her arms, "Although, I think it would be a lot more entertaining to find them ourselves."

Aries gave a soft snort and looked at Krul, "I suppose if we told you their names, you would hold those two over our heads in order to gain leverage over our negotiations?"

Krul found that she didn't enjoy how perceptive Aries was, but knew Autumn was thinking something similar with the tiny, innocent smirk she had adorned on her face.

"Would it do me any good to say no?" Krul waved a hand, "If you come to Japan, I will allow you to have your mates, but only after we've settled our terms."

"I wish you wouldn't call them _mates_ ," Autumn muttered softly, "Such a disgusting term. The term itself makes it sound like we're to become dependent on them or something..."

"Autumn, use your manners," Aries chastised as she unfolded her arms and leaned down on the plush top of the couch, "Well, the male I will be seeking is apparently the Seventh Progenitor. I'm assuming I don't need to say his name aloud for you to know who I am referring to."

From his spot standing beside Mika, Ferid smirked and leaned forward onto the railing with pure excitement visible on his face. To him, the news that he would have such a powerful pawn to play with, despite never once considering taking an intimate companion, was almost as enticing as drinking the most perfected blood straight from the source. He felt that if she were to truly come to Japan, he could convince her to stay and perhaps partake in some of his little games with the humans.

It also made things all the more tantalizing when he watched Krul's reaction, knowing she most likely dreaded hearing his name slip from the Fifth Progenitor's lips.

A tense, angry look flashed in Krul's eyes at the mention of Ferid's title and the idea of him having such a powerful woman at his side as she ground out through clenched teeth, "Yes, I know exactly who you're talking about."

Autumn smirked, "I take it he's not your favorite?" When Krul flashed her a nasty glare, it made her giggle, "Didn't think so."

"What about you?" Krul asked, this time with a more even tone that lacked the same bite from her previous comment, "I hope yours is at least a little more desirable in personality than your companions."

"Hmm," Autumn leaned back and feigned a dramatic sigh, "Should I describe him aloud or just give you a name? Decisions, decisions."

Krul glared, "Don't play games. Just tell me the damn name!"

"Fine, fine," She sighed and leaned forward once again, "His name is Crowley Eusford, although from what I was told he always has two female companions with him, so I don't know if I should go to Japan to find him. I don't want to get in between true love and family if he harbors romantic feelings for either one of them."

The sickening, passionate tone Autumn used reminded Krul of how Ferid spoke of Mika to her and it made her skin crawl, "I'm sure they won't mind sharing once they know who you are."

"Oh, but that's the thing. I don't share," Autumn said with a sudden serious tone and a menacing smirk that could match even Krul's.

Still seated where they had been the entire assembly, Chess and Horn both frowned deeply at the screen before turning to their idolized companion and noticed the excited expression on his face, "You wouldn't leave us for her, right?!"

"Of course not," Crowley gave them both a smile before turning his attention back to the screen, "Although, now that I know she's mine, she won't be returning to Canada without a fight if she really does make an appearance."

"Do you think you'll be able to convince her to stay?" Horn asked politely, "If she controls all of the humans in her country, I'm sure she won't give that up so easily."

Crowley sat back, "Well, her companion said that she is to be with lord Ferid. We all know he wants power, so perhaps she will bring him back with her. It would definitely get him off Krul's back, although I'm not sure if he would willingly go unless ordered to."

"Well, we can't let you leave, so we have to find a way to convince her to stay with us!" Chess suddenly blurted, "We'll help you convince Autumn, won't we, Horn?"

The beautiful blond nodded with a smile, "If she is to be lord Crowley's intended, we certainly can't let her leave and disappoint him."

Crowley grinned at the two, "I'm sure she'll enjoy your company just as much as I do when she arrives."

"Can I dress her up? She doesn't look like a noble and it's making me somewhat angry," Chess looked at the screen.

"Mm," Crowley sat back with both of his arms rested on the backs of Horn and Chess' chairs, letting his eyes lock onto the busty black haired girl and let his red orbs roam all over what little of her body he could see, "Perhaps something a little naughty, but nothing to let the other nobles know that they can freely look at her."

Chess grinned, "I know just the thing~"

"You're awfully excited about a woman who will be coming to steal lord Crowley's attention from us, Chess," Horn eyed her and grinned slightly.

Chess deflated and glowered at her, "She's a higher ranked noble than us, and she's lord Crowley's mate! We can't compete with that!"

Horn could tell that Chess was extremely envious of the Second Progenitor, seeing as how she felt the same but it wasn't something they couldn't control. When she turned to look at the screen, she noticed how Autumn's eyes would ever so casually flick over in their direction as Krul would spout more words to her.

"I believe she knows we're still here," Crowley grinned and didn't even attempt to hide the amusement in his voice, "I wonder how long it will take for them to arrive?"

"Should we ask the Queen if we can meet them?" Horn asked, knowing Chess would most likely enjoy meeting her first-hand rather than wait until she's already passed through the Queen.

"That's not a bad idea," Crowley nodded, "We'll bring lord Ferid as well, seeing as how her companion will be tied to him."

"May I ask a question, lord Crowley?"

He looked at Chess and smiled, "Of course."

"How does this situation work, exactly?" Her cheeks blushed at the thought of him giving her his full attention, "I mean, you didn't know about her until today, so will it be like an instant connection?"

"I wonder that myself, but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see," He looked over to where the Queen stood and noticed she was dismissing the two on-screen, "Seems their private chat is done. We should go before Krul realizes we stayed behind to avoid seeing her throw a tantrum."

Both Chess and Horn nod, standing up to follow him out when Ferid crosses their path near the door leading out of the building, "Ah, how nice to see you all decided to be nosy with me."

"I figured you would stay to hear what those two had to say," Crowley grinned at his eccentric superior, "What do you think of the news? We apparently have women who will be delivering themselves to us soon."

Ferid crossed his arms and sighed dramatically, "I look forward to holding beautiful Aries in my arms and discovering what makes her tick~"

Chess scowled at Ferid but didn't reply as Horn eyed the noble suspiciously. Crowley however, simply grinned at him and chuckled at his theatrics, "It will definitely be entertaining when they arrive. That young noble, Autumn, seems like she will give Krul a run for her money."

"I suppose your lovely aides are quite jealous to find out that you will be having a lover by your side?" Ferid teased, earning two glares from Crowley's companions.

"We've already discussed it," Crowley said simply with a grin, leaving it at that.

Without another word, Crowley lead Chess and Horn passed Ferid and out the door, leaving the grinning vampire to ponder of his new plans formulating in his head.

* * *

 **I know what my returning readers are thinking and I promise that I'm going to update my other series. LOOL**

 **If you've ever read any of my other works or have followed me in the past or just recently, you'll know that I tend to get side-tracked and jump from project to project. I really try not to, but I enjoy this anime quite a bit so just bare with me. ;)**

 **Note, I didn't add Saito as a Second Progenitor because I don't really see that he counts as one. Sorry if this upsets anyone, but it was a personal decision!**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	2. CH II

**Here is chapter two of my Owari no Seraph story! I got the chance to type it up really fast while in class today because we had some guy come to teach the others how to use a computer, so I was exempt from that to do as I pleased since I had taken the test he was going to give at the end of the course and got a near perfect score.**

 **Not saying that as a boast, either. The damn test was ridiculously stupid and would have been simple for someone who had never touched a computer before to pass.**

 **"What does the space bar do?" ... Yeah, it was those types of questions, and I don't even say that jokingly.**

 **I haven't decided whether to rate this as an M just for the violence or if I'm going to add some spice to it, so you'll all have to let me know! ;)**

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 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH II;;**

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"Are you sure you're alright with this?" Aries brow rose as she looked to Autumn, who was bored and tugging at her ebony strands, "You told me that you thought the shaman was joking."

Autumn never turned her attention to Aries, "Oh, I still think he was full of shit, but it doesn't stop me from going out of pure curiosity. Besides, Aden will continue to control the happenings in Canada while we're on our little vacation, so relax and enjoy."

Aries frowned for a moment but did as Autumn suggested, sitting back in her seat with her arms comfortably folded under her chest.

It wasn't long before the helicopter that had been carrying them for over twenty hours finally breached Japans boarders. The male vampire who was piloting made the announcement, earning a grin from Autumn and a nod from Aries. The two waited patiently for their ride to be over, noticing that the pilot had begun preparing the vehicle for landing.

Once the helicopter was seated on the ground, Autumn unbuckled quickly and leaped out of the aircraft in favor of stretching her tense, stiff muscles while Aries followed more casually.

"Man, that took forever!" Autumn groaned as she stretched her arms above her head, "We should have taken the plane so we could have at least moved around a little."

Aries sighed, "We're in foreign territory, not to mention that the Queen is to meet us here so can you put your adult panties on and act your age?"

Autumn glared, "I'm older than you, you know."

"You certainly don't act like it."

"Welcome," Krul's voice abruptly cut their argument off as they turned to see the pinkette walking towards them with an adorable blond trailing behind her, "I've arranged for your rooms to be prepared in my castle in case you wanted to rest after traveling for so long."

"Thank you, Queen Krul," Aries smiled politely before looking at the blond, "Who might this be?"

Krul lifted her hand to motion behind her, "This is my pet, Mikaela, or as everyone calls him, Mika. He also works as a city guard, and has graciously offered to be your escort. Anything you need, you may ask him."

Autumn grinned and crossed her arms under her bust, "He's cute."

Ruby eyes landed on the black haired girl as Krul smirked, "It's nice to see you in appropriate clothing instead of your comfort clothing."

Aries, who had already shown herself as a proper noble from the conference just days ago, wore a knee-length white dress with black details around her bust paired with the black, high-heeled boots that rose to mid calf. The mandatory cape seen on all nobles loosely clung to her shoulders and seemed as though it was pinned to the simple sleeves to her dress and bore no major differences from any other. She didn't have anything covering her arms and wore a pair of simple, black gloves. To finish her off, two black belts that circled her waist held the scabbard for her sword on her right hip.

Autumn, however, wore something more appropriate for combat. She sported thigh-high black boots that were pointed at the toe and gave her short stature a small boost in the heel. At first glance, one would think she had pants tucked into her boots, but really the girl was wearing shorts that hovered a couple of inches above the tops of the boots. Her top was similar to Aries, being that she revealed a fare amount of cleavage with black detailing around the bust and had short sleeves. Despite being a noble, she did not wear a white train. She also had several belts around her waist, only Autumn had two scabbards on either side of her hips. Krul's brow rose to question, but she figured that the woman was just a regular duel-combatant.

"Well, I was scolded before we left and was forced to change so I didn't really have much of a choice," Autumn glowered at Aries.

The Queen nodded and motioned for them to follow, "I'm surprised you decided to show up without any protection."

"Trust me when I say that Aries and I are powerful enough to fight off anyone who comes at us, even if we're separated," Autumn winked as she followed closely behind Krul, "Besides, you wanted to talk negotiations and I'm sure having us attacked would put a stitch in your plans."

"My men already know that you two are high ranking nobles and are not to be touched, so you don't need to worry about that," Krul grinned, "However, there are a couple of people who are extremely excited to meet you both."

Aries blushed slightly while Autumn blinked, "Oh?"

"Did you forget that your _male companions_ are here?"

Much to her embarrassment, Autumn really did momentarily forget about being in the same city as Crowley. Not to mention, she'd hoped to keep some distance for just a little while longer until she could size up Aries intended for herself.

One of Autumn's exploited talents had been a knack for hacking any computer programs or bypassing web protection of any sort, before and after the fall of the human race. She'd quickly discovered files of the vampire Aries was to be with and instantly grew a dislike for him, but pushed it aside to judge him with her own experiences interacting with him.

"Are they at your mansion, Queen Krul?" Aries asked, seeing the Queen nod her head.

"Ferid was incredibly anxious when he arrived at my mansion this morning, going on about how our watchers spotted a helicopter closing in on Japan," Krul explained before stopped and looking back at the Fifth Progenitor, "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm happy for the two of you to meet. Ferid is a conniving, backstabbing, self-serving man that doesn't deserve the rights to be with someone like you but unfortunately I have no say."

Autumn gave Krul one look, flashing a very rare, serious expression in her eyes, "We know. I've done my own research on him and showed Aries to prepare her for what she may encounter."

"He'll play the polite, lovey-dovey game to entertain you, Aries, but just be on guard," Krul gave them both a look, "Never fully put your trust in Ferid, or else he may use that to his advantage and manipulate you."

Aries nodded slowly, ignoring the primal instinct that urged her to defend the man she'd never met before, "I understand."

"Good," Krul turned to Autumn, "You should be careful when we arrive. Crowley's aides are extremely excited to meet you and I'm not sure if Chess will be able to contain herself."

Autumn grinned, "I did a little peeking into those two as well and think I understand her tendencies a little, so I'll exercise caution."

"Fair enough, let's go."

The group made their way through the streets of the Capitol and eventually made it to the mansion, following Krul through the opened double doors and into a large foyer. Bypassing the room completely, Krul lead the two Canadian progenitors up a flight of stairs and walked to a large, red door.

"I'll let you become acquainted with Ferid and Crowley for a short time and then we will have a private discussion regarding the deal."

Aires nodded while Autumn felt the bubble of excitement and anticipation overcome her as she watched Krul open the door with a flick of her wrist and entered the room.

"Ah, they've finally arrived!" An excited voice that sounded as though it belonged to an adolescent girl beamed, making Autumn look over and grin.

The tiny purple haired girl bounced over and stopped only a few feet away from the two as she inspected Autumn with wide, ruby eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, Chess," Autumn continued to grin and held her hand out, noticing the girl showed no sign of shock that she already knew her name, "I'm Autumn Winters, but I'm certain you already know that."

Chess grinned up at her and accepted her hand, "I am," Suddenly, she gave a rough tug and pulled her in the direction of the other two, "Come meet lord Crowley and Horn!"

Autumn blinked but made no attempt to stop Chess from dragging her across the room while Aries stared at the two, "... Is this what you warned her about, Krul?"

"Yes," Krul crossed her arms to watch how the two would interact, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible despite the fact that the curiosity was eating away at her, "Chess sometimes forgets to show self-control, but that's why she's with Crowley. He can handle her buoyant personality."

Aries nodded and looked over, watching as Chess came to an abrupt halt and all but threw Autumn forward towards the extremely tall, handsome noble who had been leaning against what looked like a desk. His attire was relatively similar to all of the other nobles Aries and her had seen since their arrival, save for the mauve cape on his left shoulder and single black sleeve beginning from his right arm down to the matching glove on his hand.

"Well, well," He grinned, "It's nice to finally meet you."

Autumn looked up at him and blinked again, "Nice to meet you too, although I never imagined you'd be this tall."

Crowley chuckled and reached a hand out to her, to which she placed one of hers in to shake but was caught by surprise when he instantly leaned down to press a kiss to the back of it, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Chess squirmed with anticipation as she watched the two while Horn remained impassive, still not thoroughly enjoying the idea of another woman stealing the attention of her object of affection.

"You must be Horn," Autumn suddenly turned her attention to the beautiful blond in white, "It's nice to meet you."

Horn was somewhat taken off guard at the friendly, pleasant tone Autumn spoke to her with and smiled, "Likewise."

"It seems like we're all going to get along just fine!" Chess grinned as she propped her hands on her hips and puffed her chest out, "You're finally dressed like a noble."

Autumn grinned, "Yeah, about that..."

"If you wear those pajamas again, you'll leave me with no choice but to force you into something more appropriate," Chess warned, giving the older female a meaningful look.

Autumn suddenly smirked and took that as a challenge, "Don't be upset if you can't catch me, Chess. You'll find that I can be extremely sneaky if I know something's going to happen."

"Then I'll just have to catch you and hold you down," Crowley grinned down at her, earning a halfhearted glare from the woman standing in front of him, "Oh, don't give me that sour look."

Meanwhile, Aries and Krul continued to watch the group interact and found it to be pleasant.

"Were you worried she wouldn't fit in?" Krul glanced over to Aries, noticing the tense expression the blond had worn previously was gone, "She seems to be doing just fine."

Aries shook her head, "It's not that I was worried, it's just that she wanted to keep some distance from him for a little while longer but she must have decided against it."

"They look good together," Krul added, "Hopefully she's not breakable, or else Crowley will get bored if he has to baby her."

A small grin split Aries face, "Don't worry about that, Krul. If anything, I hope for his sake that's more durable than she is. Autumn's got energy and power reserves in that tiny body of hers for an entire army of vampires and humans."

"Then the two of them should be interesting to watch if they spar," A grin pulled at Krul's lips, "Now then, the meeting I'm not entirely looking forward to. Come with me."

Aries frowned slightly at the thought of being separated from Autumn, but followed the Queen nonetheless and eventually found herself in a similar room to the one they'd met Crowley in, only this time a certain silver haired male stood by the window with his red eyes glancing outside.

She could tell he pretended to be oblivious to their entrance but gave it no second thought, even more so when his eyes landed on hers.

"Aries Marlo," Her name slipped off his tongue like velvet and made a shiver run up her spine, "What a pleasure to finally meet you," He was across the room and standing in front of her faster than anticipated when he reached down to take her hand in his gloved one, pulling it up to his lips for a kiss, "I'm Ferid Bathory."

She couldn't fight the blush that stained her cheeks at his bold introduction, faintly hearing Krul make a disgusted sound from beside her before stepping away from the two.

"I hope your trip to Japan was pleasant?" Ferid asked, looking down at her with a pleasant smile. When Aries nodded, he grinned playfully, "Bashful?"

Aries nodded slowly, "I suppose you could say that I didn't really know what to expect."

"Only natural, seeing as how we're meeting formally for the very first time," He reached his free hand up to gently touch her cheek, "Would you care to join me for a tour of the Capitol?"

She hesitated on agreeing to go with him when Krul's mention of a brief meeting snapped her back into reality, "I can't right away, but after I'm finished meeting with Krul, I'd love to."

"Oh, well I suppose I can wait," He feigned a sad sigh, "Such a shame, that the Queen gets your attention before me. Oh, well. I'm a patient man."

Only having been with him for under five minutes, Aries didn't exactly know how to interpret his personality or how to take him. He seemed quite friendly to her, but her gut told her to be careful and heed Krul and Autumn's warnings.

"Sorry Ferid, but I need to borrow your woman for a moment," Krul suddenly interrupted, reaching out to take Aries arm and gave a hard tug to release her from his touch, "She'll be yours after our meeting, but she is to remain here in the castle overnight."

Ferid grinned, "What hospitality. Perhaps you could extend an invitation to me as well, considering it will take more than a couple of hours to get a better feel for each other."

Krul glared at him, "I'll consider it."

. . .

"Do you agree with the terms?" Krul asked eagerly, her eyes scanning Aries face before flickering to Autumn's, "If not, then I do hope you'll at least stay for a while as my guests."

Aries looked at Autumn knowing she would inevitably be the one to make the final decision. Her black haired companion sat still with her arms crossed under her bust as she stared off into space with a contemplative look. She couldn't quite tell what Autumn was thinking at that point, but all she knew was that her elder companion had an uphill battle in regards to Krul's offer.

"Well," Autumn heaved a sigh and looked at Krul, "You definitely know how to grab other people's attention."

Krul grinned, "So, does that mean I'm caught your interest?"

"You're asking for one hundred of my finest men and women to be brought to Japan to help your battle against that demon army, as well as our cooperation when it comes time to kill the newest seraph that you've discovered they've created and managed to control," Autumn summarized Krul's request, "That's an awful lot if you ask me."

"It is, but I'm willing to give you whatever it is you want in order to create this alliance and to have your help in defeating the humans," Krul stared her down, "I know my pull as the Queen means nothing to you, so I figured a mutual agreement was the best solution."

Autumn suddenly grinned, "I'll accept the deal, but I have conditions of my own."

"Let's hear it," Krul grinned back, feeling a small amount of triumph settle in her belly.

"Crowley Eusford moves up to my rank, and his two aides rise to his former position as Thirteenth Progenitor," Autumn boldly stated, "I'm sure it would be unfair not to offer the same move for Ferid, so as much as it pains me to ask, for Aries sake I want him moved up to be on par with her."

Krul's eyes widened and her jaw went slack, "You've got to be joking!"

"Afraid not," Autumn grinned, "Also, I want to train some of your soldiers. You'll find that the Canadian vampires fight a little differently and are far less aggressive, but they're highly effective."

"Yes, I've heard about how ruthlessly you train your soldiers," Krul narrowed her eyes slightly but a grin pulled at her lips, "I'm sure my soldiers would enjoy the new routine. As for Crowley and Ferid, I'm assuming you want to move to their homes for your stay?"

Aries nodded while Autumn fiddled with the ends of her long hair, "Well, that would be nice. Can't exactly build a relationship if it's long-distance."

Krul ignored the sarcastic bite in Autumn's words, "Fine, I'll accept your terms."

"Good," Autumn grinned and held her hand out, "I'll let Aden know right away, then."

"Aden?" Krul's brow rose as she clasped her hand around Autumn's.

"You could call him my third-in-command," Autumn muttered and sighed, "Although, he's not exactly what you'd call reliable."

"You seemed very satisfied leaving Canada in his hands until we returned," Aries added with a slight grin, eyeing her companion with a highly amused look, "In fact, you all but shoved him into the office before you ran to grab your things—"

"Alright, alright!" Autumn glared at her, "So he's not as bad as I make him out to be, but he's still a child!"

"That's because you picked him," Aries taunted, earning another glare from Autumn.

Krul cleared her throat to draw both of their eyes back to her and smirked, "Since everything is in order, I'd like to make another proposition."

"You want an alliance and to share in both countries," Autumn stated as if she had read Krul's mind, "I suppose sharing wouldn't be so bad, but as I'm sure you'll want to maintain order and control over Japan, I want to keep control over Canada."

"Deal," Krul was smirking, "Now go appease your mates before I kill them for eavesdropping."

Autumn shot the Queen a glare before getting up, "Don't call them _mates_."

"I'm sure it would hurt poor Crowley's feelings if you didn't refer to him as such," Krul teased with a cruel grin.

Aries grinned slightly, thoroughly enjoying that someone other than herself was going to become an object of Autumn's wrath when she had a sudden jolt in her good moods, "Come on, Autumn. Let's do as she says."

Autumn let Aries tug her to the door and sure enough, as it swung open, Ferid stood there with a surprised grin on his face.

"Done already?" He reached up to stroke Aries cheek, "Shall we go for our little walk together?"

Aries was about to reply when Autumn roughly shoved her aside and got in Ferid's face, "Before you take her anywhere, I just want to make something clear," Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she could see Crowley and his two aides smirking in amusement at her challenging Ferid, "This woman is like my sister, and being like my sister, that means she's the only family I have. You touch her in a way she doesn't want to be touched or violate her if she asks not to be, you will answer to me and I can promise you that I am rather sadistic when I want to be."

Ferid fought to keep the amused smirk from his face as he bowed dramatically with one hand over his chest, "It hurts me to think that you would have such harsh thoughts of me! Why, I would never ask dear Aries to do anything she wouldn't want to."

A scoff was heard from inside the room as Autumn's lips pulled into a tight smirk, "I see. Well then, I guess I have nothing more to say."

Aries stared at the back of Autumn's head as she strolled over to the three nobles patiently waiting for her, "Autumn?"

"Be good and remember that we agreed to be back here at midnight like good children," Autumn looked over her shoulder with a teasing smirk before allowing Chess to tug her forward as Crowley led the group down the hall.

The blond noble was left to gape at her companion before looking at Ferid, noticing the entertained expression on his face, "What?"

"Oh, nothing~" He grinned and offered his arm to her, "Shall we?"

. . .

"You know, I couldn't help but notice that look in your eyes when you addressed Ferid," Crowley looked down at Autumn with a grin, "You looked at though you were going to tear him apart. Is it something I should be concerned with?"

Autumn continued to look out at the empty city through the window of Crowley's mansion, "I did a little research on him before we came and almost regret it because I don't want my little sister to be wrapped up with someone like him."

"Little sister?" Crowley's brow rose.

"I call her that because I turned her after I'd found my humanity again after playing the part of a savage in my early years after being turned. You could she's what brought me back," Autumn looked up at him, "She's the only family I've had up until now."

A handsome smile spread over his face at a particular word she said, "So, you regard us as family already? I'm touched."

"Well, it's not like I can ignore you now that I have this irritating pull towards you," Autumn grinned up at him, "Chess and Horn are good company too, so I wouldn't want to discard a friendship with them."

Crowley gave her a teasing look, "So you're saying my aides are more important than I am?"

"Pretty much," Autumn lifted her hands and laced her fingers behind her head.

A soft growl rumbled through Crowley as he watched her cross the room to the farthest side, not missing the playful look cast over her shoulder towards him. It didn't take much for him to take that as an invitation.

With a grin, Crowley shot towards her only to have her disappear on him.

"For a big guy, you're fairly quick," Autumn smirked, "Makes me wonder how strong you are."

"I'm very strong," Crowley smirked back, "I'm also quite skilled in other things, as well."

Autumn suddenly appeared behind him and stroked the outline of his shoulder blade, "Really now? I suppose I'll have to wait and see."

"All you have to do is ask," He looked over his shoulder to her and winked, "But first..."

Autumn felt the breath leave her throat when Crowley hoisted her into the air high enough to keep her feet from touching the floor and pinned her to the wall with enough force to crush her bones. What surprised her about his touch was that his hands were gentle and his fingers were loose enough to keep from bruising. She felt her stomach twist at his consideration, forcing her to push the thoughts of regret that she instantly felt when she retaliated.

Crowley hadn't expected her to have so much brute strength hidden in her petite body. His eyes went wide when she used the palms of her hands to give him a push, sending him flying into the wall opposite to her. The teasing smirk on her face only made his eyes sparkle with excitement at the prospect of a real challenge.

"You're even stronger than I originally thought," Crowley dusted himself off with a wide smile, "I think I'm really going to enjoy having you as a lover."

Autumn grinned, "Likewise."

. . .

Aries walked beside Ferid as he led her through Sanguinem, making sure to show her that he had the ability to be humble and friendly to young livestock that ran passed them. She was surprised to see how some of the little ones looked up at him, as if expecting him to be ruthless towards them or their companions but he never bat an eye to them. Instead, he reached out to pat their head gently.

"I know you're being respectful because of me," Aries looked at him after they walked away from the children, "Although, not all of these children look at you like you're frightening. Tell me, what is it you do to them?"

"Why, I offer them protection and chances to gain more income to provide for their families," Ferid smiled, "I'm sure this would bother someone like you or your lovely elder sister, but the way our humans are treated around here is much different from your established routine."

"Very much so," Aries nodded as she looked around, "It's so dark and depressing down here. Our humans are allowed to live on the surface in protected areas where they are kept in controlled villages with a capped population per unit. They're allowed to continue living life much like when their ancestors lived in working farming communities."

Ferid looked down at her, "May I ask why you go to such extremes to keep the livestock so happy?"

"Happy humans means to fear when it comes time for them to do their monthly visits to the facility where we collect their blood," She looked at him with a small grin, "Although from what I hear, most of you Japanese nobles prefer the taste of frightened children."

He never tried to hide the expression on his face, "But of course. I insist you try it for yourself to compare."

"Perhaps another time," Aries adjusted her grip on his arm and sighed contently, "Do you live here or somewhere up on the surface like a few of the other nobles?"

"My mansion is here in Sanguinem, but I am welcome in Crowley's mansion as he is under my faction," Ferid explain with a grin, "Although, I believe that will be changing once he's fully bonded to your dear Autumn. The rules about mates with higher rank tend to rise their counterparts up with them."

Aries caught the playful tone in his voice, "That they do. That would mean Crowley would rise above you in rank."

"Sadly, yes it would," Ferid sighed before smiling a beautiful smile, "It will be like watching my own child wed to a Queen, seeing as how I turned him when he was human."

"You did?" She blinked.

"Yes," He grinned, "He was a particularly fascinating human with strength of no ordinary man. Even now, he is one of the strongest nobles in Japan that none of the humans have ever been able to tame."

Aries eyed him, "Sounds like you chose a powerful ally for yourself."

"Well, now I have you and your lovely sister," Ferid touched her face with his free hand, "However, I don't intend to stir up a fuss. Now that I have you here, I plan on enjoying my time getting to know you."

Aries leaned into his touch, only hoping that what he said would be true but she knew the difference. It was just to find out what Ferid had planned before he had a chance to catch her by surprise.

* * *

 **EDIT, 03/29; I changed a few things and added character descriptions to when Autumn and Aries arrive in Japan. Aside from that, not much has changed~ :)**

 **. . .**

 **So, I hope everyone liked the introduction. :)**

 **Not too much happened in this chapter, although I did contemplate keeping what happened between the two nobles and Krul a secret until later on but ended up typing it before I could stop myself!**

 **So, what do we think of Ferid and Aries? Do we trust that Ferid is actually excited to have her there and that he'll be a good boy? What of Autumn and our handsome Crowley? Despite the fact that we don't much about her, we've already been told that Autumn has enough power to rough-house with her warrior so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. ;)**

 **For those of you who have read a few of my other works or are expecting a request, just know that I haven't forgotten about you! :)**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	3. CH III

**I feel like this story is going to consume me until it's done. LOOL**

 **Also, just to clear things up since I didn't realize I'd made it difficult to know who is who:**

 _ **Aries Marlo is the blond, Fifth Progenitor who is more mature but easily bashful in situations that she's uncomfortable with. Tends to play the older sister role to Autumn. She is an expert combatant but that is yet to be seen.**_

 _ **Autumn Winters is the black haired, Second Progenitor who is more childish and immature, but is very observant and has expert computer hacking skills. She is an incredibly strong opponent and loves to fight, but that is yet to be seen in full throttle.**_

 **Very important chapter that will express what's about to happen, so enjoy! ;)**

 **Note; I did edit this but if I missed anything, I'll fix it when I have the chance~**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH III;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

Autumn watched as a good portion of the city guards formed a line in front of her, each with expectant expressions on their faces as they anticipated what was about to happen. She couldn't help but grin, noticing a few of the men at the back looked up at her uneasily.

"Seems they're already frightened of you and you haven't even started the training," Aries muttered with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Autumn shrugged, "I suppose that means I'll have to give them a reason to fear me."

"Don't treat them like punching bags," Krul looked at her, "I still need them to continue their duties after this session, so try to hold back."

A sigh escaped Autumn's lips, "Fine, I'll behave."

"Ah, looks like we made it just in time," Autumn and Aries turned to see Crowley, Chess and Horn walking up to them, "I was hoping we would make it in time to watch all of the fun."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't have started without you," Autumn grinned at the three before turning around to face the soldiers.

Aries continued to look at Crowley, who noticed she was watching him and offered her a smile, "You must be the little sister she spoke of."

"Aries Marlo, a pleasure to meet you," She was surprised at how gentle his grasp around her hand was as he shook it, "I hope she's at least being nice to you all."

Crowley chuckled, "Well, her and Chess butt heads a lot but other than that, it's all going fine."

Aries nodded and looked to his two aides, who both smiled politely at her before turning their attention to Autumn.

"Alright boys, lets get started~" Autumn grinned and walked towards all of the soldiers, "I need someone to volunteer to be my helper. Any takers?"

Rene and Lacus, who were standing near the back, heard hushed whispers and could practically taste the tension in the air. It wasn't often that a progenitor was there to oversee their training, let alone be their instructor.

"I'll do it," Lacus lifted his hand, earning a smirk from the black haired beauty.

"Ah, good! Someone with a backbone!" She waited for him to walk to her and motioned to the sword on his hip, "You're going to need that."

"Huh?" He looked down at his weapon and then back to her, "Aren't you going to use yours?"

Autumn gave him a thoughtful look, "I could, but I won't need it."

A sense of dread instantly filled Lacus as she cracked her knuckles and began walking towards him, "Let's get started~" She looked over to the men and women watching, "Each one of you watch closely and take notes."

Rene shuffled his way up closer to the front to watch his partner in this match, somewhat amused at the uneasy look on the usually playful mans face.

Lacus quickly drew his sword and got into his fighting stance, knowing that it would be better to defend rather than attack until he knew what sort of tactics she was going to use. He also knew better than to charge blindly at a noble, even if she were to insist he make the first move.

"What's the matter?" Autumn grinned at Lacus, "Waiting for me to strike? That's going to be a big mistake if I move first."

Krul narrowed her eyes down at Lacus, "Attack her so we can get this over with."

Lacus looked up at Krul to nod, when a fist collided with his stomach and sent him flying back several feet.

Autumn smiled, "Don't ever take your eyes off your enemy~"

Taking a swing, Lacus aimed for Autumn's midsection to try to and gain some distance from the noble, but she continued to dance around him as if he were moving in slow motion. He would give a frustrated grunt and continue to try and hit her, but she would simply smile and dodge him without ever attempting to hit him.

"If you're going to dance around, you might as well get someone worth fighting down there with you," Krul said with annoyance.

Taking the chance to finally do some damage, Lacus took advantage of the fact Autumn's eyes were now locked onto Krul's and swung his sword.

Much to his dismay, she'd caught the blade between her fingers without having to spare him a glance, "I promise I'll get on with it. I'm merely judging how much work I'll have to put into your soldiers, Krul."

Before Lacus could react, Autumn ripped the sword out of his hands and swung him around so that when he hit the ground, he was belly-down and had her knee pressed into the small of his back.

Aries watched her and sighed, "I thought you said you were going to go easy on them?"

"I am," Autumn glared, "If you guys are just going to complain about my teaching methods, then feel free to leave!"

"Why don't you try your hand against Mika?" Krul suddenly grinned, "I think you'll find him more amusing than a regular guard, seeing as how I've had him specially trained."

Autumn looked at her before standing up, "Okay."

Lacus managed to get himself up and dusted off when his sword was gently sheathed back at the spot on his hip, "Is this what our new training is going to be like?" He watched Autumn as she pulled away from him and crossed her arms under her bust.

"Not really," Autumn looked at him and winked, "Although, it was nice to see that you're not afraid to try and land a hit on me. You've got my respect for that, Lacus."

"Well, you said not to hold back," Lacus gave a sheepish smile before walking over to stand beside Rene.

Autumn smiled at his words before turning to Krul, noticing Mika had joined her, "Well hello again, cutie!"

Mika felt his cheeks heat only slightly as he turned to face Krul, "You called for me?"

"Yes," She grinned and motioned to Autumn, "Fight her."

Mika's eyes widened as he stared at the vampire Queen, "W-What? But she's—!"

"You heard me, so get down there and put on a good show," She said with the grin still on her face.

Nodding slowly, Mika made his way down to where Autumn stood and turned to face her, "You're serious about this? Shouldn't you face a noble to show your power?"

"This isn't to flaunt power, Mika," Autumn grinned and drew her sword, ignoring the stares she knew she was receiving for having such an intricate blade, "This is for training purposes."

Her sword itself was quite normal by most standards, but the cut of the blade wasn't straight like a normal vampire sword. Steel grey in color, the entire neck of the sword was carved as though it were meant to be a fang but lacked the rough edges that would otherwise make it look sloppy. There were intricate designs etched into the steel that could be seen when she adjusted her grip and caught the artificial light, while the hilt was just a normal single-hold that seemed standard for most weapons.

"Interesting weapon you've got there," Mika watched, somewhat caught in the awe of staring at the fine piece she held in her left hand, "It's improper to duel with your off-hand."

"I specialize in duel wielding, but my left has always been my dominant hand," Autumn grinned as she explained her circumstances to Mika, "Unless I'm handling two blades, I can't really handle a sword in my right hand, so I've always trained to use my left. It also helps to throw my opponents off much like it has to you at this moment, but don't worry, I'll still be more than enough to handle even if I don't try."

"Oh, I see," Mika muttered softly, "So we're really going to fight at full power?"

Autumn watched as he drew his sword and eyed the vines that slipped from the openings in the hilt to wrap around his wrist, "I suppose that would be best, seeing as how you're already preparing yourself."

Mika never said a word as he got into a stance, poising his blade to stand tall in front of his body so he could either attack or defend depending on how Autumn was to proceed.

"Would you care to take the first strike?" Mika mused, watching her as she stood idly in a relaxed stance.

Autumn looked at him and shook her head, "If I strike first, this match is over. It's better if I let you come to me first so I can gauge how much strength to use."

Mika's eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned slightly forward and bent at the knees. Autumn watched closely and grinned, noticing that he was preparing to launch himself at a fast pace towards her and waited for the coil to spring.

When Mika shot forward, several of the guards standing off to the side watching held their breaths as he swung his sword behind him to gain momentum to strike at the Second Progenitor. Despite the force and speed used in the blow, Mika wasn't surprised that Autumn blocked the attack without much effort and made him recoil, jumping back to put some distance between the two before he aimed a second attack at the woman. With a grin, she parried his blows and stood in position while their blades crashed together.

"Wow, you really are decently strong," Autumn said while grinning, "I think I may actually have to put some effort into this."

Mika only had seconds to react when Autumn spun around at rapid speed before taking a swing, to which he barely parried and blocked with his sword. She could tell that he struggled to keep form and felt her grin widen as he shook against the force of her impact.

Off to the side where Krul had been standing, Aries whistled in appreciation as she mentally noted how talented Mika was turning out to be.

"Well now, I guess I was right to come and see what all the fuss was about," Aries turned to see Ferid approaching the group of nobles with a grin on his face, "And here I thought today was going to be boring."

Aries smiled small as he approached and stood beside her, "Krul offered to have Autumn go against Mika to see what level he was at so she could get a good idea as to how she was going to play with all of the guards. Surprising to say that he's actually holding his own, although she's not really trying."

"I see," Ferid mused, taking in every detail his eyes could capture as Mika and Autumn continued to dance in a flurry of movements and clanging swords, "I'm surprised you aren't down there."

"I'm a progenitor, but I don't particularly like to fight," Aries admitted, "Autumn was the one who trained me and all of the Canadian soldiers, so it seems only right that she be given that responsibility," Taking a quick moment to look over to Crowley, she noticed the twinkle in his eyes and grinned slightly, "Like what you see?"

Crowley nodded with a grin, "Mm, even now while she's not trying, you can still feel her power in the air. It makes me want to go down there and have her fight at full strength."

"Perhaps you and your mate can clash swords another time," Krul interjected, "Right now, she's tasked with preparing the troupes to battle along side the Canadian soldiers."

"I know," Crowley nodded before looking towards Autumn and Mika again, "I am curious to know why she has an oddly colored blade, though. Does it mean anything special?"

"Oh, that's nothing to worry about," Aries smiled, although there was a sudden uneasiness that settled over her that Krul picked up on right away, "She wanted something that would set her apart from the other nobles, so she had a master sword-smith forge it for her. The blade still changes to a crimson when it ingests her blood, so that much hasn't changed."

Krul's eyes flashed to Aries, "I heard a rumor about her that I'm hoping you can verify," When Aries turned to the Queen, she continued, "Can Autumn wield cursed gear?"

"Only for a short period of time," Aries replied with honesty as she turned to her companion, "Before Autumn found me she had come frighteningly close to becoming a demon when she as at her darkest period, so she thinks that's the reason why she can handle holding and using a demon-possessed weapon. Like I said though, she can only use it for a short amount of time but that's usually enough because not only does the demon weapon hold great power, but her vampiric blood seems to amplify the cursed weapon's potency and strength."

"I see," Krul's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the Fifth Progenitors response.

"Incredible," Crowley muttered, staring at Aries in disbelief before turning his attention to a grinning Autumn once again. "Every time I learn something new about this woman, she just seems to amaze me even more."

Ferid eyed the Thirteenth Progenitor for a moment before looking to Aries, taking in every expression she made or the emotion passing through her ruby eyes as she watched her companion. He found it amusing that she held Autumn in such high regard with all of their history together, knowing that he would have quite the challenge when it came time to split them up.

"My, you're really something, Mika!" Autumn smirked, "But like all good things, it eventually must come to an end."

Mika grunted when Autumn took an extremely powerful strike at him, knocking him off balance long enough for her to penetrate the defensive position he'd held his sword in and grab him by the front of his clothing. He made a small, muffled yelling sound as she forced him forward and instantly felt pain in his abdomen where he was sure she used the tip of the hilt to ram into his stomach. In one last attempt to fight her off, Mika lifted his arm to strike but noticed she'd already disarmed him by catching a glimpse of his blade laying on the ground beside them.

"How..." Mika's blue eyes were wide as he looked at Autumn, "I would have felt the vines ripping out of my skin if you'd taken my sword from me, so how did you do that?"

Autumn grinned and reached up to pat him gently on the head, "When you were focused on deflecting my attacks, you let yourself relax for a split second and it was at that time I noticed the vines receded, so I took the opportunity to strike."

Mika nodded slowly and looked down at his hand while still in his stupor, "I see."

"You did good for a kid," Autumn smiled, "With some more work, you're going to be an extremely powerful opponent."

"Thank you," Mika smiled small, feeling his chest contract slightly at the compliment.

"So, what do you think?" Krul asked, gaining both of their attention, "Will you need to spend a lot of time with them?"

Autumn shook her head, "No. I've got a pretty good idea as to what I'll be doing with your men, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"Fair enough," Krul looked at Mika, who was currently leaning down to pick up his weapon, "You did good, and against a high-ranking progenitor no less."

Mika nodded and walked back over to Krul when she motioned for him to join her, "Thank you, Queen Krul."

"I think that's enough for today," Krul caught Autumn's attention before looking out to her city guards, "All of you, go back to your posts. You'll be called on in small groups when Autumn is ready to train you."

Without a word, every one of the men and women bowed respectfully before disappearing.

"As for you," Krul turned to Ferid, "Are you going to be joining the Kobe scouting group?"

Ferid grinned as he circled an arm around Aries midsection, "But of course, if that is what my Queen wishes."

"Don't get cheeky with me," She narrowed her eyes, "They will be leaving shortly, so I suggest you go meet with them soon."

"As you wish," Came his amused reply as he gave a mock bow, "Aries, would you like to accompany me before I leave?"

Aries looked at him and then to Autumn, who grinned up at her and waved her hand, "You don't mind?"

"No, get out of here and spend time with him," Autumn noticed Crowley approaching and turned to him, "I'll be busy anyways."

With a nod, Aries let Ferid lead her off and disappeared. It wasn't long after the two progenitors left that Krul motioned for Mika to follow her while she took her leave, as well.

"It was rather interesting to see you fight," Crowley grinned as he approached her, stopping only an arms reach from her body, "I can't wait to try my hand against you in the future."

Autumn grinned back and winked, "I'll try to go easy on you, but I can't make any guarantees."

"Fair enough," He chuckled.

As Crowley looked down at her, Autumn noticed he looked somewhat torn. When her brow rose, she began to ask him what was wrong but he'd beat her to it.

"I wish I could say that I wasn't busy today, but unfortunately I have some business to tend to in my territory," Crowley said with a sigh as he reached his gloved hand up to touch her face, "What do you have planned now that you don't get to beat on the city guards?"

Autumn shrugged while she placed her hand over his, "I haven't decided yet, but I may go and bug the Queen. She's extremely easy to get a rise out of, especially if I wear my pajamas."

Crowley chuckled and grinned, "I suppose that could work for entertainment," Leaning down, he locked eyes with her, "I won't be long, so when I'm done I'll come and find you."

"Sure," She smiled, not minding how close he'd gotten to her.

Returning her smile, Crowley reached up to pat her head gently, much like she'd done to Mika earlier. He chuckled slightly at the disgruntled look she gave him but paid no mind; simply pulling his hand away to take a step back before turning to walk away.

"You know," He cast her a sly grin over his shoulder, "This is usually the part where the woman hugs her man from behind and begs him not to leave."

Autumn smirked, "Sorry but, I'm not into tragic romance like that."

"Too bad. I would have liked the contact," Crowley chuckled, "Oh well, maybe one day I'll get a hug and a kiss out of you."

She waved him off with a teasing grin as he began walking away, "Sorry Crowley, but you're going to have to work for that privileged!"

. . .

It was later in the day when Autumn walked down the dark hall of Krul's castle with her hands in her short's pockets and a folder neatly tucked under her left arm. She was walking passed guards who would stop and bow out of respect, but she never paid them any mind. She was headed for the throne room, knowing Krul would most likely be there or somewhere nearby. As she neared the door once it was in her sights, Autumn narrowed her eyes a touch and contemplated how she would go about bringing up the topic of her real reason for being called out by Japan's Queen with such an odd request.

It bothered Autumn to the point where she'd contemplated escaping from Crowley and his two aides to do some digging in attempts to try and piece together what Krul's real intentions were, although when he'd left her in Sanguinem alone for the day she'd gotten her chance to pry around without looking suspicious. What she hadn't expected to find when she'd finally got her hands on encrypted, secret files that looked as though someone had tried to wipe them out of the system, was that the vampire Queen's name was smeared all over the documents in regards to the Seraph of the End, and all projects related to the human testing. Autumn could tell the Queen had no affiliation with what her eyes read, but there was a reason why Krul was pointed out in these documents that the Second Progenitor couldn't quite put her finger on.

Despite the fact that the knowledge alone shouldn't have been such a huge shock to her, it was what Krul said to her in private just a few days after the Canadian progenitors arrival in Japan. She was adamant on the idea that she needed the Second and Fifth progenitors to help her annihilate the Japanese Moon Demon Army, which instantly made Autumn believe that what this situation was turning into was just some elaborate ruse.

Nonetheless, Autumn trudged her way to the door and opened it with ease, noticing the familiar long, dusty pink hair that belonged to Krul had met her eyes as she entered the room.

Krul, who had been filing vials for Mika's trip with the guard to inspect one of the smaller cities just outside of their territory, turned around to greet her with a smile but immediately narrowed her eyes when she caught Autumn's unusual facade in place.

"What brings you here to see me?" Krul asked easily, not minding that Autumn's eyes were now watching her blood fill the vial in her hands.

Autumn shrugged and shot the Queen a half-grin, half-smile, "I was bored and decided to come and pay you a visit."

"Without either of your companions?" Krul's brow rose, "I thought you were almost always in the company of Aries, or at least Crowley now that you two are aware and comfortable with the new situation."

"Ferid stole Aries to go on that mission you were both talking about earlier with him going with the guards heading to Kobe to scout around," Autumn explained, "Although I'm not particularly happy that she's going with him alone, it was bound to happen eventually. That, and she's getting bored so he piqued her interest with that mission."

Krul nodded and set the now filled vial in the holder just beside her throne, "What of Crowley?"

"He's busy attending to some matters in his territory, so I told him I would be here in the city when he got back. Besides, I needed to get away from them all to come and have a chat with you," Autumn suddenly grinned, "I want you tell me the real reason you called me out. Having Aries brought with me was just to sweeten the deal, but it was me specifically that you wanted. Why?"

"I knew I wasn't going to like how perceptive you are, but now that you've caught on, I suppose I have no choice but to tell you," Krul sighed and spun on her heel until she was lined up with her throne and dropped down onto the plush cushion, "What do you have in that folder?"

Autumn glanced down at the folder still tucked in her arm before locking eyes with Krul, "You got me curious the last time we talked, so I did a little digging," There was a brief pause while Autumn took the folder into her opposite hand, "I didn't realize how much trouble you were really in until I read all of this over. Tell me, was the Seraph project really worth all of this?"

Krul's eyes narrowed dangerously as Autumn threw the folder towards her, to which she caught easily in her hand, "What do you think you're doing, meddling in my business?"

"I wanted to know exactly what I was dealing with before I came to face you on my own," Autumn crossed her arms under her bust, "So after Crowley took off, I found one of your computers and decided to snoop. Interesting read, with all of the experiments that the Hyakuya Orphanage has done. Your name doesn't appear in these documents and it's obvious that you weren't affiliated with them, but you are mentioned several times in other papers pertaining to this subject. What was your part in it, I wonder?"

Autumn watched as Krul's hand clenched and her knuckles began to turn white, "Get to the point."

"That's just it," She smirked, "I want answers, and now that you know just how dangerous I am outside of my already powerful abilities as a progenitor, you're going to give them to me."

Krul narrowed her eyes dangerously at the black haired woman in front of her, "I wasn't involved with the experiments, but I did have a hand in protecting them. A woman named Mahiru Hiragi warned me about the Seraph project, so I stepped in to destroy the Hyakuya Orphanage after getting the order from the Council to exterminate anything and everything, including all the children who could have possibly held the seraph gene."

She paused and closed her eyes, "The Progenitor Council is unaware that I disobeyed their orders and took all of the children from one of the orphanages to raise them as livestock. Out of all of those children, I discovered that only two boys were seraphs."

"I see. Quite the mess you've gotten yourself into, then," Autumn shifted her weight onto her left leg while staring at the Queen, "I'm going to take a guess and say that your hidden agenda for me has to do with these boys?"

Krul bit back the growl and stood up, "Yes, actually. I wanted to ask you to do me a favor in regards to the two seraphs."

Autumn watched as Krul stepped carefully down the stairs towards her and followed her movement, not missing the fact that there was now a second set of eyes somewhere in the room watching them. Instantly, she assumed it was the Queen's adorable blond pet, Mika, but she brushed it aside to give Krul her full attention.

"Someone is trying to steal my throne," Krul began, as she stopped a few feet in front of Autumn to look up at her, "If that happens, my two seraphs are in danger. If something should happen to me, I need to know that they're safe and don't fall into the hands of the humans."

Autumn caught onto Krul's underlining reason and narrowed her eyes, "So you want me to be a babysitter and protect them?"

"Yes," Krul crossed her arms, "One of them is still human, but he is quite capable of protecting himself and has a group of powerful companions with him. The other, as I'm sure you've already suspected, is Mikaela."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Autumn muttered and sighed, "You seemed too fond of that kid for him just to be your pet."

Krul watched her, "Will you do it?"

"What's in it for me?" Autumn asked with a level tone, although she was currently fighting the amusement ebbing at her from their current situation, "I owe you nothing, and seeing as how I already control Canada and am out of your jurisdiction since we're still up in the air over negotiations on this ruse about an alliance, you have nothing to hold over my head."

The Queen smiled suddenly, "I suppose using Crowley and his two aides would do nothing for you either, would it?" When Autumn shook her head, Krul inhaled deeply, "Then there really is nothing I can give to you."

"You're really asking me to do this as a favor, and with nothing of collateral that I can attain afterwards? You really are something, Krul," Autumn said in a droll tone as her brow rose, "You understand what I'll have to do, right? When I take those boys, I'll have to go into hiding and make it seem as though I've betrayed Aries and Crowley."

Krul frowned, "You can't tell them about this, so it will be a hard decision, but I trust you enough to keep those boys safe and away from the humans and possibly the other higher-ranked progenitors. Besides, you managed to stay hidden for such a long period of time, so I have no doubt you'll be able to complete this task."

"That's a risky gamble, Krul," Autumn sighed and reached up to tousle her fringe, "How long do I have to make a decision?"

"As soon as possible," Krul shifted slightly, "I want to cover all of my basis before something happens, so I suppose it's a good idea that you found all of this out that fast and came directly to me."

"It's Ferid, isn't it?" Ruby eyes narrowed slightly, "He's the one after your throne."

Krul nodded, "I'm hoping that Aries will have a positive influence on him, because I don't want to have to kill him if it comes to that."

"Agreed," Autumn frowned and sighed, "She's become rather fond of him, even if he is sneaky and untrustworthy."

"It's her genetics telling her to love him and see passed what he really is," Krul waved her hand, "I'm surprised you aren't acting the same with Crowley."

Autumn shrugged, "It's different, but I can control the urges easier than she can but I figured it's only because I'm older than her and otherwise preoccupied. Although, I'm noticing it's becoming noticeably harder to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of my mind whenever Crowley is around," With a sign, she shifted her weight again and looked at Krul, "As for Aries, she has always been secretly searching for her other half, so I figured this was going to happen and that she would willingly make herself susceptible to his advances."

"How unfortunate that such a woman is wasted on someone like _him_ ," Krul sighed, "I don't think I'll eve get passed that."

"You'll eventually learn that Aries can be a major influence, although I think Ferid will take some extreme effort," Autumn grinned, "Now then, about this favor you're asking for. Why do you want me to take them and protect them? Is there a reason why you're asking me to do this?"

Krul frowned, "Why must you keep asking me that question? I told you! You're the only one I can trust to handle those two and keep them safe. Even other progenitors would find you a challenge to face off against, so I don't have to worry about you being killed easily and jeopardizing their lives."

"Just making sure," Autumn winked, "I'll give you my answer in two days, but don't hold your breath. I still want to prepare your soldiers before they go to war, so that will take some time."

With a nod, Krul let out a small relieved sigh and watched as Autumn turned on her heel to leave, "One more thing," When the Second Progenitor paused mid-step, Krul crossed her arms and spoke with a serious tone, "Don't get intimate with Crowley if you decide to do this for me. If you do, he'll be able to track you down easier than he could if he were to try right now and believe me when I say that he will go looking for you."

"I'm aware of that," Autumn looked over her shoulder, "I plan on holding that off for as long as possible."

"Oh?" Krul's brow rose and a grin pulled at her lips, "Why is that? Just out of curiosity, of course."

Autumn grinned back, "I'm not an idiot. If Crowley drinks my blood, there's no telling what kind of bolster he could get from it. You should know better than anyone what can result from another vampire drinking a stronger being's blood, considering your pet has strength far greater than what he should have after feeding from you."

"True," The Queen nodded, not at all perturbed at the fact Autumn knew the vials were for Mika all along, "I'll see you in two days."

* * *

 **So, Autumn may be leaving to go and find Yuu's group to help protect him from the army and other vamps! She has a tough decision to make, considering all that she'll be leaving behind. What will she do, I wonder? :)**

 **Next chapter is going to be mostly Ferid and Aries since the last three have been mostly centered around Autumn.**

 **Autumn IS the main original character because of what's going on with her direction, but Aries is just as important! :)**

 **For those of you who may skim passed the notes at the top of the story (I'm guilty for that sometimes, too), I've left character descriptions of both Autumn and Aries to help clarify things for some readers who may find picking them out to be confusing!**

 **Again, Autumn is the black haired Second Progenitor and Aries is the blond, Fifth Progenitor. :)**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	4. CH IV

**Well, I just got one of my exam marks back, so this and another update I'll be doing is to celebrate my 98 FUCKING PERCENT ON MY WRITING FINAL. WOOOOOOOOT! ;D**

 **This isn't going to be a mega long chapter, but I hope it gives some insight to Aries and Ferid's relationship. She's not entirely smitten, but you'll see what I mean if you've read the previous update in regards to the two of them together. :)**

 **Some Autumn, Crowley and his two lovely aides in this one, too! I just love writing them! :3**

 **Also, I just need to say this... I'm so happy I found this fandom, especially with all of the Ferid edits with him being the ultimate ship queen for YuuMika. Some of the pictures I've seen just make my fucking day LOOL**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH IV;;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

Aries wandered around the streets of Sanguinem for what seemed like hours after returning from the Kobe mission with Ferid and the troupes. They hadn't discovered anything out of the ordinary in the territory, so they claimed it and offered sanctuary to the humans who had made their home by the water. At first she'd thought they were being courteous, but once Ferid explained the deal the vampires made with the humans, she'd found it to be more barbaric than what she was used to back in Canada.

Had the humans been discovered by the Canadian vampires, they would have been allowed to stay where they were in the small village they'd created with twenty-four hour protection by a select number of troupes to insure their safety and to report any injuries or casualties. It was something she was used to seeing and a quality in Autumn she most admired, knowing it was hard for the Second Progenitor to ignore her vampiric impulses and to teach her views to the future members of her armies.

They were to treat the humans like people instead of livestock; completely opposite to what she'd seen whilst in Japan so far.

When her eyes scanned over the faces of the children running by her, she saw the fear in their eyes once they caught sight of her. She even had to back away from a young girl who had taken a tumble when she'd offered to help them up, earning a frightened look and a rude glare from the two other children she was with.

Once again, she'd gone to Ferid to ask him why the children were treated like animals, but his reply remained the same as it had the first time he'd answered her.

"They're only humans, which means they are means to an end and nothing more than food for us vampires," Ferid explained with a cruel grin, "Does it displease you to see them treated like they this? You forget that we're only giving them the same hospitality and treatment that they'd given their food before all of this. Consider it giving them a taste of their own medicine."

Aries frowned and gave her head a shake, "Damn it."

With a sigh, she continued walking until she neared the part of the city where Ferid's mansion stood tall. She caught sight of Lacus and Rene standing not too far away from the gates leading to the mansion's staircase and offered them a kind smile.

"Lord Ferid had just asked us to go and find you, but here you are," Lacus grinned, "Did you enjoy your walk, lady Aries?"

Aries frowned, "Please don't address me so formally, Lacus. Just Aries will do."

"As you wish," He propped his hands on his hips while Rene watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.

Aries looked at the dark haired guard, "Something wrong?"

"It's nothing more than an observation, but you see rather unhappy at the moment," Rene said without a second though, not caring if it sounded as though he was prying into her personal thoughts.

The Fifth Progenitor shrugged, "Well, I suppose you could say that I'm just not used to be around the humans in these conditions," Lifting her hands, she locked her fingers together before lifting her hands up to stretch them above her head, "Back home, they're treated fairly and given a decent quality of life where they don't have to fear us, but rather respect us and our authority. It's a little unsettling to be looked at by the children like I'm a monster from their nightmares."

Lacus watched her while Rene nodded, "Yes, Autumn mentioned that back in Canada, you allowed the humans to have their own special communities."

"That's right," Aries smiled, "They aren't viewed as livestock, but they're taught from an early age to respect the vampires. If they respect us and follow the rules, we make sure that nothing harms them. You could say we took away the fear of living under our thumb and given them a purpose, something to look forward to every day when they wake up."

"That's very odd, considering you're both high-ranking progenitors," Lacus stated bluntly.

Aries grinned, "Actually, rumor has it that the Russian progenitor has also done something similar like we have. Once you realize the happier the humans are and the more willing they become, you'll see the reason behind what Autumn and I have done."

Excusing herself, Aries slipped passed Rene and Lacus to walk up the steps to the mansion. Once inside, one of the many staff that worked for Ferid greeted her at the door and offered to take her to the Seventh Progenitors office.

"Ah, Aries~" Ferid grinned upon her entrance, "How nice of you to join me. Please, have a seat."

Aries thanked the maid that had escorted her to the room before walking over to the white armchair that had been situated in front of Ferid's desk, "Sorry I left without telling you. I just needed some air, I guess."

"Not to worry," He linked his fingers together and leaned forward to rest his chin on top of them, "You look troubled. Care to tell me why?"

Her ruby eyes met his, "You already know I don't agree with how your Queen allows her humans to be handled, so lets not go there."

Ferid sighed softly, "It's something I suppose you'll never get used to. Does it make you homesick when you look at them?"

"Somewhat," Aries admitted, "Although I really am enjoying my time here in Japan, aside from the matter of your livestock, of course."

With a grin, Feird nodded, "Good to hear. Now then, why I called you here was to actually discuss a matter that hasn't come up yet," He watched as Aries brow rose and felt giddy at what he was about to talk to her about, "What will become of Canada should one of you decide to stay here?"

Aries frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Autumn is the highest ranking progenitor in Canada, followed closely by you," Ferid began, not lifting his gaze from her face as he spoke, "I'm curious to know what will happen should Crowley convince Autumn to stay here, or if you were to choose to remain here in Japan by my side."

His questions caught Aries somewhat off guard, leaving her to grip the hem of her white skirt with the tips of her fingers with an anxious feeling bearing down on her suddenly, "Autumn and I haven't talked about that yet."

"Well, would you like to tell me your personal thoughts about it?" Ferid asked with an amused tone, trying to get her to divulge her real feelings on the matter, "Seeing as how you and Autumn are very different in personality, I'm assuming you feel a little more disturbed at the idea of being torn between Canada and Japan now that you've found me."

Aries frowned, not liking the tone he was using or his carefully selected words with their pretty coating. She could tell by the expression in his eyes that he was internally dancing with amusement, thoroughly enjoying the fact that she was uncomfortable with the current situation and felt somewhat sick that he took pleasure in seeing her like that.

However, pushing that aside, Aries forced herself to relax and sat back against the back of the armchair, "Well, I suppose if Autumn were to bring Crowley back with her, I would stay here with you if that was what she wanted. Of course that would mean Chess and Horn would go along, as well," Her brows furrowed slightly as she locked eyes with him, "If she decided to stay here, however, I'd request Queen Krul to let you come to Canada with me and take Autumn's place by my side."

Ferid grinned, "I see," Straightening himself up, he too leaned back against his seat in a more relaxed posture, "You don't sound too pleased with the idea of being separated from your darling Autumn."

Aries flinched somewhat, "It's not that I'm upset with the idea of her and I not being together anymore, it's just a security thing for me. She's always been there as my protector, mentor and as my family."

"You can't be dependent on her forever, my dear Aries," Ferid said with a wistful sigh, "Which is why you have me, now. You need to allow me to become that backbone you so dearly hang onto, and to let me keep you protected like Autumn did."

Aries so badly wanted to slam into Ferid's face that Autumn was infinitely stronger than he was, but remembered that her mate was crafty and seemed to always process several steps ahead in his mind, "I know."

"I'm not trying to scold you so please don't look at me with such sad eyes," Ferid stood up and walked around his desk to stand beside her, leaning down so he was at the same eye level as her, "I want us to make the best of this relationship my dear Aries, but in order to do that, you need to trust me."

 _"Never fully put your trust into Ferid Bathory, or else he may manipulate you."_

 _"He's clever, Aries. Just be careful and watch your back until you know him well enough to make a final judgement so I won't have to do it for you."_

"Trust is earned, Ferid," It took a lot of willpower to look him in the eye without a suspicious undertone, "Although, you have forever to earn my trust now, so better to start now than never."

He gave her a playful grin, "But of course."

With a closed-eyed smile, Ferid pulled the glove off his right hand before reaching forward to touch Aries cheek with the tips of his fingers. Finally looking at her, he noticed the wave of calm that washed over her face at the contact and grinned, letting his fingers trace higher up her flesh to fully cup the side of her face in the palm of his hand.

"Never would I have imagined to have such a beautiful woman like yourself to be by my side," Ferid whispered, leaning forward to press his lips against her forehead.

Aries felt her cheeks heat up only slightly at the affectionate gesture and his words, "Ferid?"

"Hmm?" He pulled away far enough that he could comfortably look down at her, noticing the curiosity pooling in her eyes, "Is something wrong?"

She studied the expression on his face for a moment before smiling small, "No, it's nothing."

. . .

"Ah, there you are!"

Autumn looked over her shoulder from her perch on one of the higher bridges in Sanguinem to see Crowley walking towards her, "Finished already?"

"Of course," He smiled, walking up to her before pressing his palms onto the concrete ledge to let his weight rest against them, "What have you been up to?"

She grinned, "You're looking at it unfortunately. The Queen wasn't as entertaining as I thought she would be, so I took to sight-seeing instead."

"Perhaps I should have brought you with me after all," Crowley teased, "Seeing as how you're not busy, would you like to accompany me back to my home for the evening? Chess and Horn were asking if you would spend some time with us there rather than them coming here to the city."

Autumn nodded with a smile, "Sure, that would be nice."

As she was about to swing her legs back over the edge so she could stand on the bridge, a gasp left her throat as Crowley suddenly hoisted her up to rest against his chest with an arm secured under both knees and the other cradling her back comfortably.

"Uh, Crowley?" Autumn stared up at him, never having been in such an awkward position before.

It didn't help the fact that she could _feel_ him chuckle while he grinned down at her.

"This seems to be the only way I can catch you off guard, so just relax and let me have some fun," He teased, holding her more firmly as he began walking, "Besides, I like using the element of surprise with you. Your reactions are quite priceless."

Autumn glared up at him, "I wouldn't look so smug if I were you, or else someone may come and slap the smirk right off your face."

"Let them try," He winked.

Once the two reached the entrance to the underground city, Crowley finally set Autumn down on her feet after several minutes of bickering with her. Although he insisted that she was easy to carry, she continued to argue the fact that she weighed a ton and would eventually hurt him.

Autumn grinned triumphantly when she finally stood on the ground and fixed her clothing, "See? I told you I would annoy you to the point where you finally let me go."

"Don't get too excited," He smirked, "I only let you down because I wanted to give you the satisfaction of thinking you've won."

"Cocky jerk," Autumn muttered under her breath, not missing the amusement that flashed in his eyes, "So, how far is your home from here?"

Crowley motioned for her to follow and led her up the stairs to get the to gate, "One of the guards that works under me in my territory is waiting outside in a vehicle the humans had left behind, so it won't take very long."

Autumn followed closely behind him and waited for him to turn around and face forward before she frowned, not entirely liking the way she felt light when he was nearby. The closer his body was to hers, the harder her decision had to be when it came time to face Krul with her final answer.

 _'Damn vampire genes giving me this unnecessary obstacle at the most inconvenient time,'_ She thought bitterly to herself.

Crowley glanced behind him and noticed the sour expression that swallowed Autumn's ruby eyes for a split second, choosing to pocket his questions for when they were alone after spending time with Chess and Horn.

It took about thirty-five minutes before they reached Crowley's territory, as he watched her with amusement at the wide-eyed expression she had while taking in the sight of the once vibrant city.

"You look as though you've never seen a city quite like this," Crowley chuckled, earning a halfhearted glare from his companion, "Are there only small cities left in Canada?"

Autumn shook her head, "No. The humans that were left alive after the virus struck tried to fight off the vampires after we came out of hiding and during that time a lot of the major cities were destroyed. Only large towns and small communities are left. For about eight months, Aries and I traveled all over Canada to obliterate the resistance, so seeing a place like this still in-tact is pretty impressive."

"Well, even I can admit that the humans were talented when it came to architecture," Crowley looked out the vehicle window, "I share this town with many other progenitors with the closest one to my territory being Seventeenth Progenitor, Lucal Wesker."

Autumn nodded, "I see. So did you all map out your territories or is there a mutual agreement?"

"You could call it a mutual agreement, as some of the progenitors chose to have their compounds underground to keep their humans in check," Crowley looked at her, "Even though the city is predominantly run by Wesker and Nineteenth Progenitor Mel Stephano, we're all given quite a lot of leeway. The center of my territory is Nagoya City Hall, but my mansion is just outside of the city limits."

"Why so far away?" Autumn's brow rose.

Crowley grinned, "Well, Chess, Horn and I mostly stay within the city, but it's nice to get out from underneath the other progenitors every now and then. It was also a gift from Ferid once the others' finally settled after having their disputes over how much of the city their factions would claim."

"Oh yes, that's right," Autumn murmured, "You're under Ferid Bathory."

With a chuckle, Crowley reached out to tuck a few strands of Autumn's black tresses behind her pointed ear, "Well, not for long."

"Hmm," She nodded, "Queen Krul agreed to your rising in rank to match mine, but it won't be official until you've drank my blood."

A mischievous grin spread across his lips, "Well, we could always change that."

Autumn smirked, "I can run circles around you kid, so I wouldn't try anything if I were you."

"That's rude, calling me a kid," Crowley sighed, "Just because you're over a thousand years older than me doesn't mean anything. I was twenty-five when Ferid turned me, so I'm an adult."

She glared slightly, "Human age means nothing when you're as ancient as I am."

"How old were you when you were turned, then?" He grinned.

Autumn paused and looked away, choosing to favor the buildings the vehicle passed over his grinning face, "... Twenty-two..."

"Aha, so I _am_ older than you," He sat back and sighed in contentment, "Good to know I have the upper hand on you in some way."

"Don't let that go to your head, Crowley," Autumn bit back with a scowl.

Once the vehicle stopped in front of City Hall, Crowley quickly got out and used his enhanced speed to move to her side to open the door for her. He ignored the droll look she gave him and quickly took her hand in his own, guiding her up the stairs and through the main entrance where they walked up four flights of stairs that led to a long hallway. Meanwhile, Autumn took in the building's details and noticed how bland it was despite having read about Japan's standards for memorable, sometimes flashy decor. The only thing she could pick out from what she'd seen was the fact that the flooring looked more like marble rather than the usual tiling most modern buildings had.

Crowley continued to lead her down the hall until they reached a door that she assumed was opposite end of the building and followed him in once the door was opened, pleasantly surprised to finally see some color. It was still a bland beige color, but the carpet was a deep orange and gave the interior a little bit of flavor.

Chess and Horn, who had been occupying themselves with a game of chess while they waited patiently for the two to return, both looked up and smiled at their entrance.

Autumn grinned and waved, "Crowley tells me that you missed me."

"Of course we did!" Chess grinned and hopped up, immediately rushing over to the Second Progenitor to pull her from Crowley's grasp and led her to where Horn was still sitting, "Come play a game with us."

Autumn nodded and sat beside her while Horn pulled out a boxed game meant for multiple players. Meanwhile, Crowley wandered over to the armchair across the room and sat down beside the small round table that had a pitcher and a wine glass stationed on top of it, quickly pouring himself something to drink. He had a calm smile on his face while he watched his girls set up the board game they were intending to play, chuckling softly when Chess and Autumn began to argue on what the rules were actually supposed to be while Horn simply shook her head with a smile and chastised the two of them for acting like children.

"Horn, tell her to stop making up rules!" Chess complained with a frown, looking to the blond with wide eyes.

Autumn crossed her arms under her bust and glared, "I've played this game before with some of my human children, so of course I would know how to play! I'm not making these things up as I go along, you know!"

"How do I know that you're not just trying to fool us!" Chess argued, shooting Autumn a suspicious look while Horn sighed.

"If you two can't play nicely, then we'll just have to find another game to play."

"But-!"

"No buts, Chess," Horn smiled, tossing a small booklet she'd pulled out of the box to the disgruntled violet haired vampire, "If you're unsatisfied with Autumn's words, read the rules over yourself."

Chess caught the booklet and flipped open to the page that held the information she was looking for, feeling defeated as she scanned over the words Autumn had summarized not even a moment ago.

"Ughhhh, that's not fair!" Chess complained.

Autumn grinned again, "How about I make it up to you and let you make the first move."

Chess eyed her for a moment but accepted her peace offering, "Fineee."

"Would you care to join us, lord Crowley?" Horn asked, looking over to the Thirteenth Progenitor, who was still watching them with a smile as he sipped his drink.

"No thank you," He sat back comfortably, "I'd rather watch you all enjoy yourselves."

Both Horn and Chess felt their cheeks heat up slightly while Autumn turned around to look at him, "Are you scared that you'll be beaten by a bunch of girls, _lord Crowley_?"

"Of course not," He grinned, not giving into her taunting.

"Hn, suit yourself," Autumn turned back around and grinned to Chess and Horn, shooting them a wink as she set the board up for them to begin.

. . .

Ferid had been fairly convinced by the end of the evening that he would have Aries in the palm of his hands, but for some reason she wasn't allowing herself to be susceptible to his advances like she was previously when they were alone. When he questioned her about it, she merely repeated about still feeling unsatisfied with the treatment of the livestock and left it at that. After observing her eyes the most recent time she gave him that answer, it made him suspicious to the idea that Krul must have spoken to her about him. His interest on the matter urged him to ask her what had been discussed, but he knew she wouldn't talk if her asked her about it out-right.

In a short amount of time, he discovered how sensitive Aries was despite the hard front she put up in front of the other progenitors.

That fact alone made the game he was going play all the more amusing, wondering how his beautiful wild card would react when the curtain finally dropped.

"So," Ferid began in a light voice, motioning between the two of them, "Have you any idea about how this works?"

Aries shrugged, "Just what Autumn told me. She made an example using the Queen and Mika, saying how he gained his power by drinking her blood continuously. It would be the same if you and I were to give a similar exchange."

"Meaning Crowley will have an extremely substantial advantage over the rest of us once he tastes Autumn's blood. Lucky for us, they're on our side and not the humans or else we would be in trouble considering he's already exceptionally powerful," Ferid mused, "Is that what it takes to secure your spot as a mate?"

"I don't know, but I'm assuming that's half of it," Aries smiled, "It's forbidden to drink from another vampire unless they're your mate, so that's probably why the Council is so strict with it."

"I suppose so," He grinned, running his fingers through her blond locks as the two sat closely together in a room with a large window overlooking Sanguinem.

Aries looked out the window as she spoke, "You'll also gain a significant boost of power once you've fed from me."

"Oh, I'm aware of that," He grinned playfully, "Rumor has it that I'll be moving up to match your rank, too."

She nodded, "Yes, but it's not official until you've tasted my blood."

Ferid was highly amused by that and fought back the smirk that so badly wanted to pull at his lips. To gain more power by such a simple exchange was simply too easy. He would play the perfect lover, and eventually worm his way into convincing her to help him with his ploy to become King of Japan.

She would eventually help him defeat Krul Tepes, whether she was aware of her hand in the matter or not.

* * *

 **Next chapter is where some action will start, because in order for me to get the ball rolling, we need to see Autumn give Krul he answer! :)**

 **Mika will have a lot to say in the next update, as will Crowley when he somewhat figures out what's going on. Aries won't be impressed, while Ferid will continue to watch in amusement at how his secret plan is quickly approaching its execution.**

 **Since it's a long weekend I may type out the next chapter tomorrow or Sunday, because my family is having Easter dinner at my aunts house so I won't be there. I don't do family suppers, especially when my slutty niece is there with her kid who listens to no one and whines the entire time. :)**

 **I love you guys very much, even if there's only a few of you lovelies reading this! I'm enjoying this story and looking forward to seeing how it turns out once I get to where all of the action and turmoil sets in~**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	5. CH V

**So I decided since I'm on a roll and was getting sick and tired of math homework, that I'd update this series again! I figured since it's not getting a lot of hits, that I'm just going to write this for myself and the few people that actually read this.**

 **So to those of you who read this and have added this to your alerts and/or favorites, I love you guys. ;)**

 **This chapter is where it all begins, so I hope you guys enjoy~**

 **NOTE: _Italics_ mean that the girls are speaking English! This will be present in any chapter where Autumn or Aries are speaking English, whether to each other to themselves in hushed tones. :)**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH V;;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

"Mind telling me what is it you plan on doing?"

Krul turned to see Mika stepping out from behind the crimson curtains that hid a doorway into another room. Her brow rose as it vague question, but she knew he'd been there to listen the whole time and chose to grin at him as he fully approached her.

"Whatever could you mean, my little Mika?"

His crystal blues narrowed at his creator, "I'd appreciate the truth about what I've just heard, considering you're really going to let a progenitor help me do what you originally gave me as a task."

"Hmm, well I guess I can tell you what's going on since you already know," Krul said in a teasing tone before turning to face him, "I'm ensuring both yours and Yuu's safety. She is an extremely powerful vampire that actually enjoys the company of humans, so I see no better guard to assign to you and your precious family."

Mika frowned, "She didn't seem willingly up for the task."

"That's because of her ties with Aries and the bond she's forming with Crowley," Krul explained, "Once her armies arrive and have assisted us in defeating the humans, I will allow her to bring you back to Sanguinem where both you and the humans that will be in your party will remain under my protection."

"So you want to her to leave with me to go and get Yuu before her troupes get here?" Mika asked with a confused expression on his face.

Krul nodded, "I'm hoping that when I speak to her, she will be ready to leave immediately so I can cover her tracks. The faster I get you out of the Capitol, the faster she can help you gather Yuu and those humans he's always with to get them as far from the city as possible."

"Why her?" Mika's brows furrowed, "I know you chose her because she's extremely powerful and you seem to find her trustworthy, but why her specifically?"

Krul smiled, "Autumn managed to stay under the Progenitor Council's noses for close to two-thousand years, so if she decides to take on this challenge, I doubt the humans or the vampires will be able to find you. The only issue you will run into is Crowley, but Autumn won't let him bond with her if she chooses to take you and run."

"So, you think Crowley will come looking for us?" Mika frowned, feeling his chest constrict when Krul nodded.

"It won't be so much for you and the others as much as it will be to bring Autumn back," Krul crossed her arms, "I may have to snap his neck in order to give you all a head start because I can almost guarantee that he'll be after you all within twenty-four hours."

A thought crossed Mika's mind as he sighed, "What about Aries? I'm sure Autumn won't leave her behind."

"We can't risk Ferid following her, so Autumn knows that she will have to leave behind her family for the time being."

"She was right," Mika muttered, immediately feeling a pang of guilt in his chest, "You're asking a lot of her, Krul. This is almost too much."

Krul sighed, "I know, but I'm going to make it worth her troubles."

Mika shot her a questioning look but was brushed off, "Krul?"

"I have your vials ready and will prepare you some more before you leave with her," Krul walked over to the small holder beside her chair and picked up each of the vials one at a time, "I insist you drink human blood and complete your transition before you leave, though. I can almost guarantee that Autumn won't allow you to feed from her as my substitute, no matter how much she enjoys your company. Remember that she is still a vampire and lives by the customs that have been engraved in her for years."

With a slow nod, Mika walked over to take the vials from her to place into the pouch on his hip that was hidden by his cloak, "I know."

"Good," Krul watched him before waving her hand towards him, "You're dismissed. I'll call for you after Autumn and I discuss what is going to happen."

Mika nodded and did as he was told, choosing to leave the throne room quickly in favor of going to find the Second Progenitor. He respected her, and wanted to know how she really felt about leaving everyone she cared about to do this for a woman she obviously didn't regard as her superior. Unfortunately for him, Autumn was already out of the city by the time Mika finished talking to Krul.

. . .

Later the following day, Autumn found herself standing in front of the large window to Crowley's office in City Hall. After spending several hours the previous night playing games with his two aides, Autumn suggested having a tour of his mansion. It thrilled Crowley when she'd brought that up and as more than happy to bring her to his home. When they arrived, she made a mental note to explore in the daylight to really appreciate the plain but very elegant decor that she felt was very much to Crowley's taste.

"You look like you're deep in thought again," Crowley mused, his eyes still scanning the papers he held in his hands, "Feel like sharing?"

Autumn looked over and grinned slightly, "It's nothing much. I'm just feeling a little homesick."

"Oh?" He looked over to her and slowly set his papers down, "I suppose you would since you're so far away from Canada, but we must be making you feel at least a little comfortable?"

"Yes, you three have been very welcoming," Autumn winked, "So much so that it'll be hard for me to go back home."

Crowley stood up and walked over to her, "But you can't just leave us behind," He smiled and reached for her, letting his hand rest on the side of her neck and used his thumb to gently rub her cheek in a soothing manner, "I'm sure it would break Chess and Horn's hearts if you chose to leave us after becoming a part of our family."

"I know, which is why it will be a very hard decision," Autumn said honestly, not breaking eye contact with him while she enjoyed the soothing gesture she was currently receiving.

His lips tugged into a small grin, "If I offered to go with you and had Krul transfer Horn and Chess as well, would that make things easier?"

"Not really, no," She said with a soft tone that was unlike her usual self.

Crowley remained silent for a moment as he took in her features, not entirely enjoying the way she seemed to become distant while she stared out the window. He found himself growing curious with the changing expression in her ruby eyes, noting that she didn't seem as happy as she normally did when in his company. He recalled seeing a similar expression on her face the day before and decided to pry.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" His brows furrowed slightly, giving her a look that told her that he expected to hear the truth.

Autumn shook her head, "It's nothing, really."

Not accepting her answer, Crowley released his hold on the side of her neck to push her back against the wall where he trapped her between his arms, "You're not very convincing."

"Crowley," Autumn narrowed her eyes slightly as she stared up at him.

Crowley continued to look down at her, completely unaffected by her glare and warning tone, "Did something happen between you and the Queen yesterday before I arrived?"

Autumn felt threatened, not particularly enjoying the fact that she was on the receiving end of someone else's clear perception of what was actually happening, "I said it's nothing."

"You're quite difficult, you know that?" Crowley sighed, leaning forward to look at her with hooded eyes, "She asked you to do something, didn't she?"

Her ruby eyes narrowed up at him, but she chose to answer him with silence rather than repeating herself again.

It hurt her to have to lie to him, but she knew his questioning was going to be the tip of the iceberg should Aries come along. The woman had been with her for so long that she knew how to pry into the recesses of Autumn's mind, making it dangerous for her to see her companion until the time finally arrived to make the final decision.

Finally releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Crowley stepped back with a small frown and reached up to rub the back of his head, "How long will you be gone for?"

Autumn stared up at him for a moment before looking the other way, not wanting to see the disappointment in his red orbs. Again, she felt as though this was only the beginning of her turmoil for when Aries caught wind that something wasn't right, or that Horn and Chess would be upset with her for leaving. She also had Aden to worry about, wondering how he was handling the task of maintaining order in Canada until her return.

How long would it take before she would be safe enough to return? With Krul's request up in the air, she knew that she would be branded a traitor for taking Mika and the humans to flee from the upcoming battle. She understood that she would most likely lose all of her power as a progenitor under the Council's eyes, but that mattered very little to her. What actually bothered her was the idea that they would use Aries or Crowley and his aides to draw her out by either threatening to kill them, or sending them after her with orders to kill her.

She didn't want to fight either of them, but she would if she had to.

Autumn had to shake the thoughts out of her head, knowing that even though she was very right with what could happen, she had an ally in a very powerful position who was willing to cover her tracks. It also helped that it was the Queen's pet that was being taken care of, so she was insured by that as well.

Deep down she'd made her decision, but it was facing the consequences that came along with it that was making this whole ordeal difficult.

"I don't know yet," Autumns answered honestly with a deep sigh, "All I know is that I'll be gone for quite a while."

Crowley looked down at her, "Is the Queen sending you away?"

"Not really, no," She still never met his eye, "I'm sorry Crowley, but I can't tell you anything. She may not be my Queen, but I still hold the honor in keeping a secret when asked to remain silent."

The Thirteenth Progenitor nodded slowly in understanding, although he wanted nothing more than to pin her down and have her divulge everything to him so he could possibly help her with whatever it was she was about to do.

Little did he know that the gravity of the situation was much worse than he could ever possibly guess on his own.

 **\- x -**

"So, what have you decided?"

Autumn stood in front of Krul with her arms crossed under her bust with a neutral expression on her face. She didn't want to reveal anything in her demeanor or her facial expressions, choosing not to meet the Queen's eyes in fear of being read like a book.

She took a moment to collect her thoughts before looking to Krul, "Before I answer you, I want to have your word that Aries will be protected at all costs."

"You have my word," Krul watched her closely, "I assume you want the same for Crowley and his aides?"

Autumn nodded before meeting Krul's eyes for the first time since her arrival, "He's a lot more perceptive than I ever would have thought. He knew something was off even after discussing going back to Canada with me."

"You didn't tell him anything, did you?" Krul urged.

When she shook her head, Krul relaxed, "No, but he already has an idea that something's going on with you. It was hard to convince him otherwise, although I don't think what I said really stuck."

"So then, what have you decided? Will you do it?"

Autumn nodded, "Yes, I'll protect your pet and the seraph."

Krul let out a relieved sigh, "Thank you. I know you wanted to be here for your troupes to arrive and to train my own in preparation, but you understand why leaving as soon as possible is a better option."

"Yeah, I agree. I wanted to leave immediately anyways," Autumn suddenly said, "If I see Crowley again or run into Aries, I may change my mind."

The Queen nodded in understanding, "One more thing," Autumn looked up at her as she approached, "Mika still hasn't tasted human blood so he will be continuing to drink vials I have prepared for him with my blood until it runs out. Go easy on him and ease him into drinking from a human."

"It took a while for Aries to come to terms with drinking human blood, so I know exactly how to deal with him. All he'll need is a little push in the right direction," Autumn uncrossed her arms and let them fall limp to her sides, "While I'm away, do you wish for me to train Mika?"

Krul regarded her with a curious look, "Well, that wasn't my intention but if you're bored and feel that there's nothing to do, feel free to putter around with him. You've already sparred against him, so you know how he fights."

"I'll keep that in mind and work something out," The black haired progenitor said.

Autumn turned on her heel to leave the throne room in order to prepare when Krul's hand suddenly caught her wrist, "Go with Mika and escape out of a hidden tunnel I've secured for you both tonight when the humans go to sleep. I know you wanted to avoid seeing Crowley or Aries, but I can't have you leave right now."

The Second Progenitor frowned at this, "You can't help us leave now?"

"No," Krul shook her head, "You're being watched and I'm sure Crowley is waiting just outside of where I can sense him. There's also Ferid and Aries, who I'm sure will be appearing at some point. If Ferid catches wind that you and Mika are leaving, there will be a major fight on our hands."

Autumn snorted, "As if the witty, untrustworthy, slime-dog of a Seventh Progenitor stands a chance against me."

"It's not Ferid I'd be worrying about, but Aries," Krul narrowed her eyes, "She may try to stop you."

With a curt nod, Autumn silently agreed with the Queen's words and said nothing in response.

"Mika will find you when it's time to go and will give you instructions that you are to meet me alone," Krul told her as she released the girl's wrist, "It will seem suspicious, but at this point with your mate already aware that something is going to happen, there's nothing we can do."

Autumn nodded slowly and proceeded to walk out, "Tell Mika I'll remain in Sanguinem or just outside of the city so he can find me easier."

Krul watched as she left before looking over to where Mika had hidden the entire time, "Come on out. I'm sure she knew you were there so I'm surprised that you didn't join us."

Appearing slowly from behind the curtain, Mika walked over to Krul and frowned, "What if Crowley decides to try and stop me from taking her?"

"Should he ask, you will hand him a false document of a mission I've already prepared for a different squad and then you two will use that time to escape," Krul looked at him, "We only have one shot at this, so be ready."

. . .

Just as Krul expected, as Autumn walked down the stairs leading to the bridge in front of the mansion, Crowley stood there by himself with his arms crossed over his chest while he waited for her. As his ruby eyes met hers, his lips pulled into a calm smile. When she mirrored his with her own, Crowley's eyes lit up.

"Well, well, well," He took a few steps forward to meet her and held one of his hands out to her, "There's a smile for the first time in a while."

Autumn accepted his hand, not minding that he laced her fingers with his own immediately, "Were you here for very long?"

"Actually, he arrived just before we did," Ferid's voice caught both of their attention, causing them to look back towards the bridge, "My dear Autumn and Crowley, how ever have you been?"

Autumn forced herself not to grimace at the thought of seeing the people she wanted to avoid, "Hello, Ferid."

Aries smiled small at Autumn from her spot beside the Seventh Progenitor, gripping the arm that she had her own wrapped around loosely to stop him from teasing her.

"Ferid, fancy seeing you here," Crowley eyed his superior for a moment before flashing him a grin, "Seems you two are getting quite cozy together."

Ferid grinned and looked down at Aries with an affectionate look, "Of course. Aries and I are faring rather well. It's you two that I've been worried about."

Crowley's grin widened, "Oh? Why is that?"

"You two are so similar and have those two aides of yours floating around," Ferid smirked, "Not much alone time to bond if you ask me."

Autumn narrowed her eyes despite the warning look Aries was already giving her mate, "It's nice to see that you have such a high interest in our personal life."

"It's only healthy curiosity, Autumn," Ferid replied easily, "Crowley is, after all, a part of my faction as well as a good friend. While you my dear Autumn, are family."

"Family?" Both Autumn and Crowley repeated, when the black haired girl's eyes met her companions guilty ones.

"You didn't..." Autumn narrowed her eyes slightly, knowing if she stared Aries down long enough the usually composed girl would crack under her gaze.

Sure enough, it only took a few minutes for Aries to begin squirming as she looked away muttering in English, " _I'll explain later, Autumn_."

" _You better have a **damn** good reason for doing this so soon. You hardly know him and could have played right into his hands!_ " Autumn frowned, stepping around Crowley to approach Aries, " _Did you have sex with him?_ "

Aries shook her head furiously, " _No, nothing like that! I just... Let him drink my blood._ "

" _Aries..._ " Autumn sighed and crossed her arms under her bust, " _I know getting mad won't help but I wish you would have held off. I don't trust him._ "

The blond nodded slowly before narrowing her eyes a touch, " _You'll understand when you've bonded through blood with Crowley what I'm about to tell you, but it's like I can anticipate what he's going to do. I'm still suspicious of him, but I wanted to be able to read him better. Besides, he's my mate. I want to put some sort of faith in him, Autumn._ "

Autumn snorted, " _Oh yeah? Well, good luck with that. Your mate is sneaky and always looks like he's got something planned_ ," Walking forward, Autumn reached out to take Aries hand that was clutching Ferid's clothed arm and pulled away from the Seventh Progenitor, "I need to borrow her for a moment, so we'll be right back."

Aries protested but found that she couldn't slip her wrist from Autumn's iron-like grip, "Autumn!"

When the two ventured across the bridge and out of ear-shot from the two nobles, Autumn finally turned to Aries with a serious expression on her face, "I'm going to trust that you know what you're doing, but with that aside, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Aries frowned, not liking the way her silly, boisterous companion was looking at her, "Did something happen between you and Crowley?"

"No," Her black fringe fell into her face as she shook her head, deciding it best to avoid making eye contact for the moment, "Krul has asked me to do something and I don't know how long I will be, but you aren't allowed to come with me. I want you to stay close to Crowley and the Queen in case your _lover_ decides to pull something."

Aries glared, "What do you mean I can't go with you? We're partners!"

"I know, but this is something she asked me to do," Autumn repeated, "She asked me not to tell you, but I just didn't have it in me to leave without at least saying something."

The blond stood quietly for a moment as her mind quickly tried to piece Autumn's words together to try and figure out the underlining meaning, "Are you saying goodbye, Autumn?"

"Hopefully not," She suddenly grinned, "Although it seems like it, I'm not actually going anywhere far away. It's a rather tedious job, but I suppose it will be fun once it's started."

Aries opened her mouth to question her companion once more but was silenced when Autumn's hand raised in front of her, "Autumn... What about Crowley and his aides? Won't he go after you?"

"Probably, but I'm faster than he is so I have the advantage. Besides, you should know by now that I'm the master of camouflage," Autumn boasted, "I just don't want you to worry about me, or have me worry about your safety while I'm gone. Promise me that you'll stay close to the Queen if not to Crowley? I trust them both to follow through."

Reluctantly, Aries nodded in agreement, "Are you going to tell Crowley this?"

"I haven't decided yet, but after last night's conversation, I'm fairly certain he already knows," Autumn ran her fingers through her long, dark tresses, "I leave tonight, and the only reason I'm telling you this is because I need you to make sure Ferid stays inside. If he shows up, I can't promise not to go easy on him if he gets in my way. Krul will also be there and won't hold back, either."

Aries frowned but nodded anyways, "Understood. How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know," Autumn sighed, "That's the only shitty part about this deal."

The two looked at one another in silence for a moment before Autumn reached up to touch Aries cheek gently, "Take good care of yourself, kid. I'll be back before you know it, and I want to hear only good things about that man if you want me to get along with him."

"I know," Aries smiled small, "Stay safe."

"You know I'll be fine," Autumn winked.

Meanwhile, the two progenitors stood silently watching their ladies have their private discussion. Ferid's eyes were narrowed slightly, but the smirk stretching his lips never left his face. Crowley was also grinning, but he had a more serious expression guarded in his eyes.

"Tell me something, Crowley," Ferid never turned to taller male as he spoke, "What is it that has your mate so preoccupied?"

"I wish I knew," Crowley said in half-truth, "She's most likely stressed because Krul has been down her throat with this issue of training her men, as well as the fact one-hundred of the Canadian vampires will be arriving soon. Last night she admitted to feeling homesick, too."

"I see. Aries was dealing with a similar issue earlier last evening, but we settled the matter fairly quickly," Ferid's eyes flickered to Crowley, "Have you tasted her yet? It's quite a rush, actually."

Crowley looked at Ferid and shook his head, "Nope, not yet."

"Pity, I think you'd rather enjoy yourself," Ferid looked over to the two girls again before grinning, "Aries tasted like the finest red wine you could ever hope to get your hands on, or like a human aged to perfection and taken straight from the vein. Not only did her blood taste divine, but I could feel a rush of power surge through me. I can also sense her at a greater distance now, but of course that means she feels similar affects as well."

Crowley blinked and nodded, "Wow, I see," His eyes trailed to his mate as curiosity set in, "I assume it would be easier to track her down should she leave Sanguinem for the day?"

"It would," Ferid watched the Thirteenth Progenitor from the corner of his eye, "Why do you ask?"

The taller male shrugged and grinned, "Simply curious. You never know when we all may get separated in battle, so finding Aries would probably be a piece of cake for you now that you've bonded with her to some extent."

"I suppose you do have a point," Ferid sighed dramatically, "To think that I could possibly have to bare the idea of losing her in the midst of a battle just frightens me, but it would be cruel to forbid her to join us against the humans."

Crowley fully looked at Ferid, "Does she share a similar opinion on the humans like Autumn does?"

"Disgustingly so," The silver haired male sighed once again, "It will take some time to get accustomed to speaking politely to the livestock and referring to them as humans, but if you or I are ever to visit their home, we need to exercise manners and pretend we care."

"Agreed," Crowley chuckled, "Autumn helped a few humans the other day and caused quite a stir. The Seventeenth Progenitor Lucal Wesker, well... You can imagine how infuriated he got. He told her she was absolutely ridiculous for wanting to pamper and pet the livestock, but she quickly put him in his place. It was rather entertaining to watch because he underestimated her to an extreme."

Ferid grinned, "How brave of him, but that's his personality. What does she think of him?"

"She's not a fan, but she does enjoy his company more than I thought she would," Crowley admitted, "Although, I think she secretly hates Wesker and puts up with him to be in the company of his assistant, Esther. The two of them get along rather well."

"And you're not jealous?" Ferid's grin began to grow, "Honestly, allowing her to associate with other nobles and progenitors... I figured you would have greedily kept her all to yourself."

Crowley smirked, "I would like to, but her personality doesn't allow me to do so. She's also higher ranked than I am at the moment, so there's not much I can do if she decides to leave anyways."

"So what will you do in this situation?" Ferid's brow rose and there was amusement clear in his eyes when he caught the guarded look in Crowley's eyes, "Come now, Crowley, don't look at me like that. I know Krul is having her run an errand, but I don't know the details."

Crowley eyed Ferid and grinned, "I'm going to follow at a distance, of course. Chess and Horn are more than capable of handling my affairs until I return, so I will be leaving shortly after Autumn does to ensure her safety."

"You know, it would significantly enhance your already impressive abilities if you could convince her to let you drink her blood," The elder progenitor smirked, "Your strength is already formidable enough to challenge a progenitor of Autumn's rank, but just think of how much more deadly you would be with her power running through your veins."

"I've thought about that," Crowley paused, looking over to see Autumn and Aries were making their way back over, "But I think I'm going to wait until the moment she wishes to be my partner in bed."

Ferid chuckled, "How romantic. I'd never imagine that you of all people would be so sentimental."

Crowley grinned at him before turning to look at Autumn, "Are you ready to go, or would you like to remain in the city for a while?"

"I'd like to stay here for a little while longer if you don't mind," Autumn felt both Ferid's and Aries eyes on the two of them as she approached the tall male, "Although, some fresh air sounds good, too."

With a smile, Crowley wrapped an arm around her waist to draw her in closer, "We'll go to the surface, then."

Aries watched the two before looking up at Ferid, "Something wrong?"

Ferid, who had been watching Autumn and Crowley closely with a grin, looked down to meet Aries eye and smiled, "Of course not. We should be on our way, too."

"Alright," Aries looked over to Autumn and forced herself to smile like she normally would, "See you two later, then!"

Autumn caught the strain on Aries face and flashed her a grin, "Yep! Stay out of trouble and don't do anything I wouldn't," Her eyes met Ferid's, "I mean it."

"Why, Autumn," Ferid placed his free hand on his left pectoral, "It hurts me that you would think such ill thoughts of me!"

"I have to keep you on your toes somehow," Autumn's grin never faltered.

As she watched Aries and Ferid walk off together, she sensed a change in Crowley's demeanor and instantly felt her blood run cold. His face was free of his trademark grin or the wide, playful expression in his ruby orbs. When she opened her mouth to speak, Crowley easily scooped her up into his arms and quickly brought them to the surface just as promised. Much to her dismay, it was nearing nightfall and that meant that Mika was bound to arrive within the next few hours.

She only had a limited amount of time to avoid letting herself be unknowingly sucked into the guilt of leaving behind her family and figured Crowley was going to put up some sort of resistance. She figured it was the reason why he came to the Capitol alone to meet her rather than bring Chess and Horn along with him, but it wasn't as though she could ask him about it out-right.

Crowley continued to walk through the wooded area until they reached a clearing, where he finally let her feet touch the ground but his grip around her waist never let up.

Autumn could feel his eyes on her as she focused on taking in the details of her surroundings, noticing that he had brought her to what looked like a patch of land the humans had cleared off to plan for construction. It wasn't a very large clearing, but it was big enough that the two could see any intruders from every spot around them should they need to fight.

"Autumn," Crowley leaned down, surprising her with how close he was to her as he spoke, "I am not one to judge based on what you may feel is right and what isn't, and I understand your ethics are strong enough to want to keep Queen Krul's confidence but you need to tell me what's going on. Even if you continue to deny it, I know she's sending you away on a mission."

Autumn bit her bottom lip hard enough to break the skin and willed herself to remain composed so her body wouldn't go rigid in his hold, "Crowley, we've already talked about this."

"I know, but I want to know why you're doing this for her?" His lips were close enough to her ear that she could feel his breath against the outer shell, "Has she used the excuse of bringing you to Japan in order to aide us in the war against the humans as a way to request your services?"

Her eyes narrowed only slightly as she looked over her shoulder, "If you already assume this much and are as confident in your deductions as your tone tells me, then why ask me all of this?"

"I want to hear it from you," He admitted, reaching up to hold her cheek in his hand so she couldn't look away, "You do realize that if you leave, I will follow you to make sure you are safe."

"I'm a stronger vampire than you, Crowley," Autumn muttered in annoyance.

Crowley grinned, "Perhaps, but you haven't witnessed me at full power. I can hold my own against higher ranking progenitors just fine, so you needn't worry about me."

"I assume Ferid put the bug in your ear about drinking from me to gain even more power?" She fully glared now, "I know that's the only reason why he whispered sweet nothings to Aries to convince her to let him feast on her. It's all an act."

With a chuckle, Crowley released her face so he could spin her around to face him, "Let's not talk about Ferid at the moment. He did mention the boost I would get from sharing your blood, but that doesn't concern me at the moment. I know that if I drank from you, you wouldn't be able to escape me unless you fled the country while I was incapacitated."

"You've done your research," Autumn's brow rose, "So if you're not interested in my power added onto yours, what is it you're interested in?"

Crowley suddenly grinned and leaned down close enough that his crimson fringe mixed in with her own black locks, "Is it such a shock that I'm only looking forward to bettering this relationship? I mean, we as vampires aren't sexually driven unless it's with the one person who drives us mad. You, my dear Autumn, are that person. I'm only acting like any lover would in regards to my worry for your safety and my need and desire for your attention."

Autumn was somewhat stunned by his honest, blunt answer and was at a loss of what to say. She could only stare up at his grinning face in attempts to detect any flickering emotions that would signify that he was lying, but deep down, she was truly relieved not to find any.

"You're just acting like a normal lover, eh?" Autumn muttered more to herself than to him before she inhaled deeply, "Will you hate me if I leave to do what Krul has asked me to?"

"No, of course not," Crowley chuckled before touching her face again, curling one of his fingers under her chin so he could tilt her head upwards to look at him better, "Like I said, I'll be following behind."

Autumn scowled, "Please don't. You have duties to attend to here, Crowley."

"Hmm? What duties?" He asked in a teasing manner as he leaned down dangerously close to her, "You're far more important than any insignificant details back in Nagoya."

She felt her spine straighten up and her breath catch in her throat at his slow, teasing approach towards her, "Crowley..."

"Yes?" He stopped, his lips barely a centimeter from touching her own as he smirked, "Are you going to try to convince me otherwise?"

Autumn scowled again, not entirely enjoying being on the receiving end of his teasing due to the fact that she was always the one poking and prodding at others, "I'll kick your ass if you insist on following me."

"One kiss," His smirk was still in place, "I want one kiss and then I'll consider staying behind."

He chuckled when she rolled her eyes, "As if I'd fall for that. You're going to follow me either way."

"I'm a man of my word, Autumn," Crowley held her waist in a more secure grip when he felt her body rock backwards in attempts to put some distance between the two of them, "All I ask for is you show me some attention before you leave, and I give you my word that I will not follow you passed my territory."

Autumn glared, "Passed your territory? What are you going to do? Stalk me up until that point?"

"Perhaps," He chuckled, "So, about that bribe?"

Everything in her body screamed for her to push him away, knowing that once she started, her infuriating vampire genes would go into overdrive and make it even more difficult than it already was. Little did he know, that his hold on her body sent pleasant chills up and down her spine. His breath fanning out against the pale flesh of her face left tingles, and the anticipation of his lips pressing against her own made her mind go blank.

She knew if she kissed him here and now, her resolve would shatter and she would tell Mika to turn around once he found them.

But temptation was cruel, as was fate and the oh so intoxicating scent of the male unknowingly supporting her form against his own.

When her eyes glanced at his lips for a split second, Crowley took that as an invitation and grinned, closing the distance between the two to let their lips finally connect.

Autumn all but moaned as he moved his mouth against her own as if to coax her into movement. She brought her arms up to wrap around his neck and felt one of his gloved hands find the back of her head, feeling his fingers lace into her black tresses while the other hand slipped to her lower back to press her flush against his form. She could feel his body shiver against her own, knowing he was experiencing a similar sensation and reveled in the sound of his shuddered breath whenever he'd pull away long enough to kiss her at another angle. It was all so much to experience at one time, even more so when she felt his tongue glide against her bottom lip before taking advantage of her need for air to slip in and escalate their passionate exchange.

When Crowley finally pulled away, he pulled her towards his chest and held her close, "If you're so adamant that you're really leaving, just know that I'll be expecting much more than a passionate kiss and some petting when you return. Consider it an apology for teasing me and then disappearing."

Autumn was thankful that Crowley had her head pressed against his chest and was running his fingers through her hair, as she wanted to avoid him seeing the red color she knew her cheeks were. She wanted to feel embarrassed about what happened, but wasn't at all regretful of what they'd just shared.

As she though, it made her approaching time limit seem much harder to accept, "When I come back, I'll let you bond with me."

"Oh?" He grinned, resting his chin on the top of her head while he continued to play with her hair, "I assume that means just the exchange of blood?"

"No," She closed her eyes, inhaling his scent to keep him memorized in her mind, "I'll mate with you, although I don't ever want to hear you address me with that term."

Crowley chuckled and smiled, "You have my word."

The two remained in comfortable silence for a while longer before a rustling in the trees drew both of their eyes, watching as Mika, Lacus and Rene walked out and into the clearing.

When Mika's crystal blues landed on Autumn, she could see the instant guilt and regret at how closely Crowley held her against him, "I have a message from Krul. She requests your immediate presence in the throne room."

"I know," Autumn sighed, noticing Crowley's grip had tightened the slightest, "Why did she send the three of you?"

Lacus grinned, highly amused at seeing the two progenitors so openly intimate in an area where anyone could have seen them, "We came to retrieve lord Crowley. Apparently Horn wishes for him to return to Nagoya."

"There's an issue that needs your immediate attention, lord Crowley. There was an incident with some of the humans belonging to the vampire extermination unit that Horn felt you should be present for," Rene finished, ignoring his partner's childish behavior so he could relay Horn's message properly.

Crowley frowned slightly and nodded, "I see. Well then," He looked down at Autumn, "I'll be seeing you soon."

Autumn nodded, only to be stopped when his lips found hers again in a quick, chaste kiss, "Alright..."

She never imagined it would hurt as much as it did when he finally pulled away and walked over to the two city guards to follow them out of the clearing. She was also somewhat upset that he never spared her a single glance before he disappeared into the bushes, but at the same time she felt grateful that he didn't.

"It's time to go," Mika said in a sad tone, "I know you don't want to do this, but you have to understand how much I appreciate this."

Autumn looked at him and flashed him a grin, albeit forced, "It's alright. It's my fault for letting myself get carried away before leaving, so I'll suffer with the consequences while we're on the move."

Mika frowned and followed Autumn as she passed him to begin the trek back to the castle, "Why did you punish yourself?"

"I don't know how to explain this properly, but being around Crowley is almost impossible for me when all my traitorous body wants to do in jump him," She said humorously, "I guess that side of me won today when I let him kiss me, although now I just want more when I know I can't for a while."

"Is that what it feels like to have a mate?" Mika asked, not missing the look she shot at him when he said the dreaded 'm' word.

"Yeah, I guess it's kind of like this," Autumn looked forward, "It's in our nature to fully claim what our selfish desires are telling us to, so my body keeps pushing me to fulfill and consummate this whole thing with him. I'm sure he's feeling something rather similar by now, although he's shown a lot more self control than I originally thought he would. Then again, up to this point he's surprised me quite a bit."

Mika could only nod, "I see... Do all vampires have mates?"

"Every living creature has an other half, whether it be in this lifetime or another," Autumn began to explain, looking to her side to meet Mika's eyes, "For you, it could be now or it could be in a few hundred years but you'll know when it happens. The pull is absolutely indescribable and every little movement just draws you in. Their scent becomes intoxicating and it's mouthwatering to even be in the same area as them."

The young vampire watched her closely, "So, it's like the pull to drink blood?"

"Something similar, although it's something not as easily sated," Autumn muttered before smirking, "Or at least that's what I've been told."

Mika smiled small, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You already are, so continue," She said with a giggle, "Besides, we're almost there so whatever it is you want to get out, I'd do so now since there won't be very much talking until we're safely out of the city with your human's."

"About that," Mika looked right at Autumn with a serious expression, "You're not going to hurt any of them, are you?"

"No, I'm not," Autumn answered honestly, "I'll even go elsewhere to hunt if that makes you feel better."

Mika frowned, "I know Yuu, and he'll most likely think of something so you won't have to leave the group. There's a boy there too, named Yoichi. I'm sure he'll also protest against your going off to hunt."

"Well, as a progenitor of almost three-thousand years, I've learned to deal without feeding for a few days," Autumn grinned, "The longest I can go is two weeks, but at that point even a regular vampire would need a full human. If I snack from time-to-time, I'll be fine. Speaking of which, you'll need to feed from a human soon, too."

Autumn had to fight back a grin when she saw the dread creep onto Mika's face, "I know, but I'm trying really hard to put it off as long as possible."

"I won't be your substitute, so you'll have to make a decision," Autumn eyed him, "Aries had a hard time coming to terms with feeding on human blood at first. It took a while, but when she eventually started with the human blood, she was able to relax and condition herself to a feeding schedule that she was comfortable with."

Mika nodded slowly but didn't say anything else, so Autumn remained silent as well to allow him time to process what she'd told him.

When they finally arrived at Krul's castle and made their way to the throne room, Krul was quick to usher them out and led them through a hidden doorway leading to the back of the castle. She explained that it was in case of an emergency with the humans so that she and anyone in the castle could escape without the enemy finding them. Eventually, they found themselves in front of what looked like a sealed off tunnel when Krul finally turned to the two of them.

"Mika has enough of my blood to last him for a week and the bag I prepared for you has a reserve that should last you for three weeks if it's just you drinking from the bags. Hopefully things will settle in that time frame, but nothing seems to ever go as planned anymore," Krul looked at Autumn, "When everything is settled, I'll send someone to go and get you."

Autumn smiled small, "I already told you that Crowley has an idea of what's going on, so send him."

"I will," Krul sighed and stood there for a moment before looking at Mika, "Do as she says and make sure that Yuu and his human companions respect her. I don't want to hear of any fighting going on because she's a progenitor."

Mika nodded, "I already spoke to them about her and they're open to having her in our group. The only one who is somewhat against it is a boy I don't know very well named Narumi, but Yuu assured me that he's a good person."

Krul smiled, "Good. Now both of you stay on your toes and get as far away from here as possible. I made sure there are no guards around the area that you'll be going through for at least an hour, so use your time wisely."

Mika nodded and gripped the strap of the bag Krul had handed him earlier, "Thank you, Krul."

"Don't thank me yet," She said with a slight grin before turning to Autumn, "Take good care of my boys."

"I will," Autumn grinned back and watched as Krul heaved the large, boulder-looking obscurity from the entrance, "Stay safe and keep an eye on Aries for me."

"Will do," Krul watched the two of them as they walked passed her, waiting for them to reach a point where they were out of sight before she sealed the tunnel once again.

* * *

 **Slow start to the chapter but now Autumn is off and running with Mika! What about Crowley's little moment in attempts to change her mind? What of Aries finally letting Ferid feed from her? :o**

 **Next update we'll be seeing Shinoa's squad and how they react to meeting our lovely Second Progenitor, as well as Ferid and Aries once again! :)**

 **Thank you to all of you that have given this a chance or have favorited this~! :)**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	6. CH VI

**I had this typed up right after the fifth update, so after this one I'm going to do a full re-read of this series and edit what I may have missed. I actually do edit these before I post them, but I read them over so fast that sometimes I miss things. Oops!**

 **This chapter is filled with Yuu and his group of human peeps, so hopefully I can do them all justice! I also decided that I'm going to have a blurb about the forces from Canada and Aden controlling them in this too, just so no one is left to wonder what's going on with them. A few new faces will also be seen too, so that should spice things up! ;)**

 **NOTE: _Italics_ mean that someone in this chapter, whether it be Autumn or Aries, is speaking English! :)**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH VI;;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

Autumn and Mika quickly ran through one of the neighboring cities at a pace that suited both of their comfort as they pushed forward to reach the rendezvous point that the young blond and Yuu had agreed on. From there, the group would bypass Nagoya by sticking to the outskirts of the city and pass through Nagano to get to Fukushima so they could regroup and rest for a few days. It was going to be a dangerous mission to get the humans safely to that destination, but Autumn knew she had to be sneaky about it and think of their stamina. She also figured if they took the extra time to play it safe and give more vampire-populated areas a wider birth, it would be easier to slip passed them without much trouble. There was also the need to steer clear of Shinjuku as well, to avoid the Moon Demon Army and any inconveniences that would arise with their interference.

What she didn't expect was that one of the humans in the group wished to go the opposite way and travel towards Hiroshima to get to Nagasaki. The only reason Autumn could fathom wanting to head in that direction was the fact that they were less likely to run into powerful vampires or hordes of soldiers under a progenitor close to the city limits, but it wasn't something the Second Progenitor wanted to take a risk on.

"You said your humans knew I was going to be with you," Autumn glanced back at Mika, "Do they know who I am?"

Mika nodded, "I told them that you were the Second Progenitor from Canada. Shinao actually heard of you before from one of her siblings regarding the rumors of your kindness towards the humans, so it made it easier for her and I to convince everyone that you weren't a threat."

"I see. I didn't think anyone in Japan knew about me except for Krul and a few of the Council members," She grinned, "So, is there anyone I should be wary about?"

There was a moment where Mika thought about her question before answering, "I'm not familiar with all of their names, but the boy who usually fights with Yuu in the front of the group has a strong dislike for our kind. There is also that boy Narumi that I mentioned before. He didn't seem pleased that you and I would be traveling with him, but the others assured him we were on their side."

"Ah, well that's not so bad. I can handle being glared at from one or two humans," Autumn said while still grinning, "How about you? Are you thrilled to be under my protection? You don't have to lie, either."

Mika frowned, "Well, if you're asking me to be honest then no, I'm not entirely happy about having you around but if Krul insisted, then I have no say."

"I won't harm you or the humans," Autumn turned to look at him, "You can trust me, Mika."

His crystal blues met her ruby orbs for a moment before he nodded, "I know. I would have put up a much greater fight if I didn't think this would work."

"Well, I don't think you all would make it very far if you didn't have me with you, considering once the nobles figure out I'm gone they may come looking for us," Autumn looked ahead with a small frown, "Crowley promised not to follow us passed his territory in Nagoya, so he may help keep the other nobles around him at bay but that doesn't do much for the others farther out from the Capitol."

Mika nodded, "Is that why you want to stick closer to the wooded areas?"

"Yeah, something like that."

When the two arrived at the spot where they were supposed to meet Yuu and the humans accompanying him, Autumn turned to Mika with a serious expression.

"Drink from one of those vials now if you don't want the others to watch," She crossed her arms under her bust and shifted her weight onto her left foot, "Krul told me that you have a little anxiety problem when it comes to drinking even her blood, so I figured since we got here first that you should take advantage of the opportunity. You won't get another one like this for a while."

Mika looked at her and frowned but did as he was instructed. Reaching back, he quickly pulled one of the vials filled with the vampire Queen's blood and popped the lid open. He could feel Autumn's eyes momentarily on him before she busied herself with taking in her surroundings while he swallowed the red liquid with three hefty gulps.

"They're coming," Autumn nodded her head in the direction of footsteps approaching, "Who is their squad leader?"

"Her name is Shinao," Mika looked over as his slid the vial back into its appropriate spot, "She's the smaller one with purple hair."

Autumn nodded and eyed her when they walked into view, "I'm assuming the one with the emerald green eyes that's staring straight at you is your human family, Yuu?"

"Yes," Mika smiled small, "If it's easier, just refer to him as my brother."

As the group approached the two vampires, Autumn caught the cold stares from a taller male with dusty pink hair and the other from a male of similar height with his brown hair tied in a ponytail. She couldn't help but grin at them, but decided against teasing them until she knew their personalities better.

The young girl she assumed was Shinoa stepped forward with a calm smile, "You must be Autumn. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Autumn eyed her for a moment before taking in all of the groups features, "Is this everyone?"

Shinoa nodded, "We have several others who are close by, but they're ensuring we get out of here without being caught. They wanted to come, but unfortunately we didn't manage to sneak out the city without a few eyes watching us."

"So they agreed to be voluntary distractions, eh?" Autumn grinned, "I suppose I can live with that."

Names were quickly exchanged, as Autumn memorized each of of their faces and voices. She also made a mental note to test their abilities, seeing as how several of them carried special cursed weapons that she had not seen before. They also had a short argument about which direction the group would head in, but Autumn won the battle with the logic behind her choice of destination.

After settling down, Yuu stepped forward and caught her attention, "Mika said that we can trust you, but just know that if you put any of us in danger, I'll kill you without hesitation."

"Uh huh," Autumn deadpanned, "You're cute and all, but I don't hurt humans. I've got standards, thanks."

The pink haired boy narrowed his eyes, "So then, why did you agree to come with us?"

"I wanted to," She looked right at him, "Mika alone isn't enough to fight off a high ranking progenitor, especially if they're extremely versatile in group combat. That's why I'm here. I can fight multiple opponents at once, including powerful vampires like nobles, and give you a chance to escape."

Mitsuba frowned, "You'd sacrifice yourself to save us?"

"Honey, I don't think you know exactly who is playing your bodyguard," Autumn grinned at her, "I'm the Second Progenitor and haven't met one vampire yet who could defeat me in combat. Also, since I duel-wield, I'm that much more dangerous, although I haven't met someone who forced me to use both swords in years."

Shinoa grinned at her boast, "Well, I can't wait to see you in action."

"If one of you wants to play, I'd be more than happy to give you a demonstration once we're in the clear," Autumn winked.

Mika suddenly turned to her with an urgent look, "We should get going. We still have about thirty minutes to get out of Kyoto, but we still have to pass Nagoya tonight."

"Mm," Autumn nodded in agreement before looking over the human group, "Do you guys use any stimulants to amplify your demonic weapons? If so, take one now. You're going to need the boost in order to keep up with Mika and myself."

She could feel the distrustful looks that both Narumi and Kimizuki, but she brushed it off and began walking forward. Once she saw Shinoa pull out a slim, plastic case with tablets in it, she smiled as they each took a pill before handing her back the container. The young girl gave Autumn a nod to tell her that they were ready, and with a quick flick of her wrist, she motioned for everyone to follow her at a startling quick pace.

"Damn, you weren't joking when you said we had to move fast!" Yuu complained, "How long do we need to keep running like this?"

Autumn glanced back at him, "Once we're close to entering Nagoya, we'll need to slow down a bit and be a little more cautious. Krul Tepes is making it easier for us to leave this area because she held off all the guards who usually patrol here, so I figured it would be rude to neglect her assistance."

Shinoa looked at the progenitor, "You trust this vampire Queen?"

"Hmm, not entirely but I have her pets in my care, so that'll count for something," Autumn grinned over her shoulder towards the girl, "Now, lets save the questions for when we're out of the danger zone."

All of the squad nodded in agreement and simply followed Autumn without question, surprising her at the fact they could keep up with her fast pace without complaint. Well, aside from Yuu's exasperated sighs every now and then.

Once they finally got out of Kyoto, Autumn made a quick decision to push forward instead of diverging off from the path she'd already mapped out in her mind after catching the scent of another vampire. She could feel Mika's eyes on her as he gave her a questioning look, but no one spoke to ask her where they were headed. It took them a little over an hour with the way they were traveling before they reached the outskirts of Nagoya, when Autumn motioned for them to stop and turned to face them.

"I don't know much about how your former employer maps out the cities governed by nobles, but there are a few in Nagoya that are much more dangerous than the majority of the ones in Sanguinem and the surrounding areas," Autumn gave them each a serious look, "We need to stay quiet and move as a unit. If it gets too risky, I'll split you up and have Mika lead half of you at a distance behind my group. Although far as I'm concerned, the two nobles that we need to be most wary of is the lovely and not-so-sociable Lucal Wesker and someone I'm hoping to avoid, Crowley Eusford."

Yoichi frowned, "You mean that that man with his two comrades controls this area?"

"Yep," Autumn shot Mika a warning glare before looking at the innocent looking boy, "Although, he's mostly in the city's center with Chess and Horn at Nagoya City Hall. Wesker may keep closer to where we'll all be but if I'm correct, he should be in the compound underground by now so it should be clear sailing."

Mika looked right at her, "You're not going to tell them?"

"No," Autumn looked at him and narrowed her eyes, "It's not for these humans to know until I decide that they should. I already told you that he and I discussed this, so there shouldn't be an issue."

"That's taking an awful big risk," Mika argued, "What if he follows us?"

Autumn walked towards the blond vampire, only to have Yuu step in between them, "I'm not going to have this conversation while we're still in danger. I trust him well enough to know that he will keep his word, so you'll have to go along with it. Vent at me when we get to our first resting point."

Mika glared at her but she brushed him off and turned around, "What about his aides?"

"They don't know anything yet, but I assume he'll tell them I've gone to do an errand once we're far away from here," Was the last thing Autumn said before she motioned for them to follow her.

Shinoa looked at her before turning to Mika with a suspicious expression, but was also brushed off as he haughtily walked forward. She gave each of her teammates a quick look and then began walking behind the two vampires, ignoring the feeling bubbling inside of her chest to not completely trust the progenitor in front of them.

. . .

" _Adennnnnn~_ " A loud, high-pitched voice shook the dopey vampire away as he jolted upright in his seat, " _Sleeping on the job again? What would Autumn say!_ "

" _Autumn would applaud my following in her footsteps, brat,_ " Aden looked over to see the tiny yet loud brunette approaching the desk and gave her a sour look, " _You know I'm extremely busy and can't get much sleep in. What do you want, Kari?_ "

" _I just heard from Aries. She said that Autumn slipped her a note before going off on some random escapade with a bunch of humans and told me to give you this,_ " Kari said before holding out what she'd written down when she read what Aries had sent her via the unstable network line coming from Japan, " _She also said something about switching the dates that we leave with our troupes. I guess that vampire Queen wants us there asap._ "

With a roll of his red eyes, Aden took the paper in one hand and ran his clawed fingers through his ginger locks, " _Great. When does this woman want us to be there?_ "

" _In five days._ "

" _FIVE DAYS?_ " Aden glared, " _Who the hell does she think she is?!_ "

" _The vampire Queen, duh._ "

" _Rhetorical question, idiot,_ " Aden shoved his seat back and stood up abruptly before storming around the side of the desk and headed for the door, " _Summarize what Aries said while we head to the training area._ "

Kari followed closely and held the paper she'd been rudely given back in both hands as she began to recite, " _She says that Queen wants us there earlier because her troupes still need training. She also caught wind that the humans are preparing to attack all of the major cities where the nobles and progenitor's are located, so they want our support before the Moon Demon Army can get the advantage._ "

" _Why isn't Autumn going to be there?_ " Aden snarled, " _What could be more important than leading us in a battle against the human resistance?_ "

" _Aries was rather vague in the letter in regards to that, so I'm not entirely sure. Like I told you, she said that Autumn was on a mission with some humans and that's all that was in the message,_ " Kari looked at him, " _She told me that they found those two progenitor's from their reading with the shaman._ "

Aden stopped in his tracks before whipping around to face Kari, " _What?!_ "

" _Mmhmm,_ " She grinned, " _Jealous? I know you wanted to be with Aries, but it just wasn't meant to be~_ "

" _Shut up!_ " Aden snarled before turning around to briskly walk off, " _Go find Annabelle and make sure that Major General Stephan Guilling and First Lieutenant Richard Wolfe are ready with their troupes. Before Autumn left, she asked to have their teams prepared to be in the front lines._ "

Kari nodded as she followed him, jotting notes on the back of the paper in her hand, " _Sergent June Leblanc will be ready to leave in two days, as will the twins Brian and Orion Williams. Major General Nicholi Armas is also prepared and ready to go._ "

" _Good, because from the information I've been gathering, we're going to need them to get passed the Moon Demon Army's long-range fighters,_ " Aden pushed the door to the unisex barracks and walked into one of the lounging room, " _Everyone, listen up! There's been a change of plan and we're to leave ahead of schedule. We are to be in Japan in five days so ready whatever personal effects you need to bring and see to it that the armory has been appropriately stocked before it is put into the cargo hold._ "

There were several gasps at his sudden statement, followed by many loud, outraged voices.

Aden sighed and crossed his arms, " _I know. Trust me, this isn't exactly what I was hoping to hear today either, but the sooner we get to Japan, the sooner we get to come home once we show those Japanese vampires how it's done._ "

" _Will Aries and Autumn be joining us on the battlefield?_ " One of the male soldiers asked, earning thoughtful looks from all of the others around them before they all turned to Aden.

The ginger haired vampire scowled, " _Only Aries, but since she found her mate, I'm assuming he'll be keeping her towards the back of the forces where the other progenitors will be. Autumn has been detained for a while so there's no certainty that she'll be with us._ "

" _What?! Why!_ "

" _Fucked if I know, but either way we need to hustle our asses and get ready to leave. I want to be air-bound as soon as possible to avoid pissing Aries or this Queen off. None of us need our asses fried if we get there late._ "

Despite the mutters he could hear in the room, they all nodded and quickly prepared themselves to ready the cargo planes they would be taking to Japan. Aden turned to give Kari a quick look before he disappeared through the door to leave her to go and complete the task he'd given to her.

. . .

"Are you excited to know that your English companions will be joining us soon?"

Aries looked at Ferid and nodded with a smile, "Yeah. It'll be nice to see Aden, although I'm sure he's stressed as hell right now with the bomb I just dropped on him. He probably thought that he could relax a little before they had to come, so I can just imagine how flustered and upset he is right now."

"A little cruel of you to do that, isn't it?" Ferid asked in amusement, "Getting in touch with him at the last possible minute to tell him that his expected arrival is in five days."

With a grin, Aries shook her head, "He's used to having random but difficult tasks dropped on his lap all the time, so it'll do him some good. He's young and still fairly lazy, but I think he gets that from Autumn. She hand-picked him from all of the others because of his potential, which indirectly forced him to adapt to her own personal habits. He can't help it if his teacher is a lazy bum at times."

"I see," The silver haired male smiled, "So then, will you and your darling Autumn be greeting them when they all arrive?"

Aries looked at the progenitor with a thoughtful look, "You and I both know that you're well aware of the fact that she's no longer in Kyoto, so please don't make me answer that."

"Hmm," Ferid leaned towards her, "Are you suggesting I snooped where I shouldn't have?"

"No, but I've noticed how nosy you can be," She grinned.

Ferid grinned back and feigned a sigh, "My, my. It seems I can't hide a thing from your careful eye now can I, Aries?"

"Nope, not much," Aries gave a small giggle, "I want to go visit Crowley in the next few days to see how he's doing. I can imagine when he tells his two aides that Autumn's gone for a while they'll have something to say."

Draping his arm around her shoulders, Ferid leaned in close to her and bumped his nose to the side of her face in an affectionate manner, "You know, it's somewhat cruel of you to be wanting to go see another male when I'm right here."

"Obviously you're coming with me," Aries sighed softly at the attention, closing her eyes to enjoy the feeling for a moment tilting her head to look at him, "I thought you were concerned about their relationship?"

"I am, but it's no fun to pry when Autumn isn't there to tease along with Crowley," Ferid admitted with an amused tone, "Speaking of which, did she tell you where she was going? I would hope that she would give you some detail to put your mind at ease in regards to her safety."

Aries caught the mischievous look in his eye and grinned slightly, "No actually, she never really gave me any details. I'm almost upset at the fact she was so secretive about what's going on, but I guess I'll just have to trust that she'll be fine."

"I wouldn't have expected any less from you," Ferid teased while reaching up to trace her jawline with the tip of his gloved fingers, "Such blind faith in your superior... It makes me jealous that you have such trust in her."

"I told you before that you have to earn those things," Aries looked at him fully, "I've known Autumn for two-thousand years and you, just barely a week. That's quite a significant difference if you ask me."

Ferid chuckled softly and leaned forward, pressing a light kiss to her lips before dipping his head lower to nip at her jaw, "Well, it appears that I have my work cut out for me."

Aries fought back a shudder and nodded, not moving to stop him from his lips teasing her in a slow, torturous manner.

He suddenly had her up against the wall as he continued to press light kisses from her jaw all the way to the junction of her neck, beginning to venture towards her jugular. Aries easily let him gently nudge her head to the side, allowing him to prepare the spot where he would seat his fangs for a small taste.

It was the normal routine now that she'd allowed him to feed from her, but she didn't mind. It was much more pleasant and exhilarating than she ever thought it would be, enjoying the chills that would crawl up and down her spine when he would suck at her flesh to draw out her essence.

Her eyes fluttered when Ferid's fangs punctured the flesh just above her jugular, moaning softly as he began to drink in a slow, teasing manner. Despite the fact that he was similar in age (although she figured she had at least a few years on him), it still surprised her with how much control over his thirst he exhibited when drinking from her. Even their very first time experiencing the exchange, he never drank a hefty amount and left her feeling light headed like she originally thought he would. He was polite, gentlemanly even, only taking enough to satisfy himself before offering his own body for her drink from wherever she pleased.

It was by far the most intimate experience she'd ever been in during her lifetime and although she was still fairly nervous about the whole situation, she trusted the fact that he knew what he was doing to guide her along.

Aries wanted to believe that he was a kind vampire somewhere deep down, but there was always a nagging voice at the back of her head that warned her not to let him mold her into his plaything.

She was highly intelligent, although very good at deceiving others to make them think otherwise. She was also extremely perceptive, but almost always chose to remain in ignorance when she knew the difference between right and wrong. Autumn always told her it was chocked up to an annoying human trait that stuck with her for all these years, but she continued to brush the elder woman off with a smile and deny it every time.

When Ferid's fangs left her neck, she shuddered as she felt his tongue glide along her flesh to clean the spot before he leaned back to meet her eyes. He grinned at the dazed look on her face and brought a hand up to caress her cheek gently.

"Such an open, pleased expression on your face," He whispered, leaning forward to brush his lips against her own, "I believe it's your turn."

Aries always felt nervous whenever he made the declaration to her after feeding from her, knowing he got some sort of twisted enjoyment from watching her squirm. She was still uncomfortable at the fact he took pleasure in her discomfort, but like many things, she brushed it aside and went along with it.

Ferid allowed her to spin them around, letting her pin him to the wall she'd been leaning against as her fingers worked to loosen the collar of his top. He let his lips pull into a teasing grin as she fumbled with the delicately tied ribbon around his neck, watching her as she gave a gentle tug to untie it before she reached both hands up to pull his collar open. To her relief, he closed his eyes and leaned back to allow her the access she wanted and held a firm grip around her waist to support her.

"No need to be shy my dear little Aries," Ferid felt her freeze up for a moment before using his other hand to lace his fingers into her hair and urged her forward, "Enjoy yourself."

Aries felt her cheeks heat up but needed no added invitation, closing the space between them as she finally pressed her lips to his neck. She heard him release a content sigh while she peppered his skin with kisses until she found her favorite spot, nipping once before breaking the skin. She could feel his entire body shudder at the penetration and closed her eyes, savoring the bittersweet taste of his blood as it flowed so easily down her throat.

It was an odd habit of hers to always think while she drank from either a blood bag or directly from a source. She found that it helped to reign in her thirst to avoid potentially killing her meal. With Ferid, she felt as though she had a million questions come to mind the minute his blood touched her tongue. She wanted to know everything about the man she was in such close proximity to, as well as what made his mind work around the decisions he made. She also had a hard time wrapping her head around the idea of such a proud noble allowing himself to be fed from, even if she was his mate.

To put it lightly, it got her curious about many things, but she found that she didn't have the courage to ask him just yet. She knew he would most likely feed her false, or at least modified information.

However, despite the insecurities, she understood that very few vampires disliked such intimacies. Ferid was no exception and made it very clear he enjoyed the attention very much.

"I must have underestimated the state of your thirst," Ferid mused, looking down at Aries after she licked the remain spots of blood from his neck after pulling away, "You must be ravenous, my dear."

Aries felt her cheeks warm up, "I'm fine."

"Nonsense. Let's go and grab a bite to eat," He grinned, linking his arm with hers while placing his opposite hand over top of her own and began leading her towards the dining room in his mansion.

. . .

"Damn it!" Chess pouted for the seventh time that Horn could count, "Where do these pesky humans keep coming from?!"

Horn sighed and looked forward, noticing that the second group of reinforcements were closing in on the group the two female progenitors currently led, "I don't know, but lord Crowley should arrive shortly. Rene and Lacus have not been gone for very long."

Suddenly Chess had a huge grin on her face, "Maybe we'll get to see Autumn fight!"

"Perhaps," The blond vampiress smiled at her companion.

"Well, well, well! Seems you ladies are in quite the predicament," Crowley's voice echoed from behind them, catching both of their attention, "Rene told me what was happening. Is this the last of them?"

Horn turned to Crowley first, "I'm not sure, but there's no end to the humans while our numbers are slowly decreasing."

"I see," Crowley walked passed Chess and Horn while reaching for his sword, "What of the vampire extermination unit that Rene mentioned?"

Chess propped her hands on her hips in haughty manner, "They went into hiding, but Mel Stefano should be taking care of the five that we diverted his way."

"Ah, so the others are involved as well?" Crowley grinned, "Perhaps Wesker will join us for this battle. He usually enjoys any opportunity to torment the livestock."

Horn frowned, "Lord Crowley, may I ask where Autumn is? I thought she would be returning from Sanguinem with you."

"We'll have a chat about that later. For now, sit tight and relax while I deal with these humans."

Horn and Chess shared a worried glance, picking up on the displeased tone to Crowley's voice. Neither one of them said a word while they watched him draw his sword, letting it feast on his blood before he dashed forward to meet the humans head-on.

Like they knew he would, Crowley made quick work of the fifteen human troupes that challenged him before sheathing his sword. He ordered his remaining guards to pick through the bodies and to imprison any surviving humans so they could be turned into livestock.

"That was incredible as always, lord Crowley!" Chess grinned as he approached the two, attempting to make the tall male crack his usual grin.

Crowley looked down at her and smiled before looking at Horn, "Let's go meet up with the other progenitors and finish this."

* * *

 **Our lovely group heading to Fukushima will be taking the majority of the screen time in the next bit. We're also going to see a small snippet of miss Krul Tepes herself, as well as Crowley when he explains the situation (or what he knows) to Horn and Chess!**

 **I haven't decided whether to add a scene with Ferid and Aries yet, but I may wait until the Canadian soldiers are there so we can see Ferid's reaction while he plays with them all. ;)**

 **Also before anyone asks, I know that the Canadian vampires have a normal military ranking. This is because Autumn and Aries are technically the only "nobles/progenitors" there. It will be explained why eventually, as I'm waiting for certain people to get together in order to find the right time to incorporate it. ;P**

 **As for those of you curious about what Ferid or Crowley are thinking, I'll be having a few scenes with their own point of views mixed into the upcoming chapters since we witnessed both progenitors becoming affectionate with the ladies. Besides, we all want to know what Ferid's thinking, since he's not as lovey and cuddly as one might think he's being. ;D**

 **Once again, I want to thank all of you who have given this a read! Despite the fact this isn't popular, I still appreciate the time that goes into reading these chapters. Those of you who have reviewed, I thank you all as well! :)**

 **~Kayori, out!**


	7. CH VII

**Okay, so I lied... I wanted to post one more before doing my editing...**

 **I can't help it! I just love how easily this story is going! It's like when I was doing my K Project series, everything just flowed so well that I had a hard time stopping.**

 **So here's chapter seven, albeit a little shorter than I would have liked. LOOL :'D**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH VII;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

Autumn eyed the surrounding area before closing her eyes to better concentrate on finding any enemies that may be approaching. After several seconds of complete silence and not having detected any threats, she motioned for the few humans in her group to follow closely. It was halfway through Nagoya that she decided to have Mika hold back several of the humans, much to their dismay of being split up, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Choosing to take one heavy-hitter and two ranged fighters, Autumn chose to bring Kimizuki, Shinoa and Yoichi with her. It had been decided early on that Yuu would forever remain in Mika's constant watch, so the issue was never brought up when pairing all of the group together.

She figured that if she had Yoichi use his weapon to focus farther ahead, they would be at an advantage and be able to alert the others faster should a problem arise. She also chose Kimizuki because she was openly curious to see the boy fight, as well as Shinoa and her level. The three weren't exactly thrilled to be split from the others, but after traveling behind the agile progenitor, even Kimizuki was thankful to have someone with such sharp instincts as her to take them through Nagoya.

"We should be just about ready to make a run towards the final stretch out of the city," Autumn whispered to the three humans behind her, pausing only to look over her shoulder so she could see their faces, "Mika hasn't moved yet, but he will once he senses that we are. Stay focused and let me vanguard should we run into anyone. Kimizuki, you and Shinoa will protect Yoichi if we get surrounded."

Shinoa and Yoichi nodded while Kimizuki frowned, "You're going to have him bring up the rear?"

"He's in no danger, so don't let that worry you," Autumn smiled in reassurance, "If any vampires sense us, they'll come for me first to see if I've captured you and to get their next orders. That's when we'll either ambush them or I may be able to use my pull as a progenitor to send them off. Hopefully we can do this without any fighting to avoid drawing attention to ourselves."

"Mika said that you gave him the orders to keep going if we should get trapped," Shinoa gave Autumn an uneasy, hard look, "I don't mind dying for my comrades, but I'm not doing it because you falsely led us into a trap."

Autumn looked at the Hiragi girl and frowned, "Kid, I'm not going to say this again. I'm not your enemy, so cut me some slack."

Shinoa opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Kimizuki, "We should keep moving and save this discussion for when we've rejoined the others."

"Agreed," Yoichi frowned, "Lets not fight, okay?"

Autumn and Shinoa shared another long look before the noble nodded and turned around, "Fine. Lets go."

As they four moved, Yoichi trailed closely behind them with Gekkoin ready to fire. He would often look through the enhanced scope that his demon provided, usually magnifying it ahead of Autumn to see if he could spot anyone and then back around to where they'd just come from. Not that he would say aloud, but he could feel the pressure the noble was putting on him. Yoichi reminded himself that she was, in fact, a comrade of Mika's and therefore one of them. He didn't openly show it, but he had put his trust in her to lead them out of harms way.

Kimizuki was much less susceptible to Autumn's kind words and would narrow his eyes suspiciously at her whenever he got the chance. It had taken him a while to accept the fact that Mika would be joining them, but when they'd arrived at the rendezvous point and laid eyes on her, it took everything in his willpower not to urge his team to turn around. She was a high-raking progenitor and from what he could already see, she was extremely well suited to reckon missions like this one. Even after leaving the spot where they'd first met up, she skillfully led them all through dangerous zones without so much as a bat of her lashes. Still, her openly compliant attitude towards having orders to protect them caught him off guard, however he would still watch her carefully until he knew he could trust her.

Despite the fact that Shinoa often butted heads with the progenitor, she found Autumn to be rather entertaining and looked forward to having such a powerful ally in their group. Sure, she was suspicious of the elder vampire, but she noticed how casual she was when in the presence of humans and took that as a sign that the minimal rumors she's heard of her were true. It put her mind at ease when Mika had told them about the Second Progenitor, assuring them that she meant no harm. He was very vague about her personality, but Shinoa found herself enjoying the snippets she'd seen of Autumn actually being herself around them. In some ways, the vampire reminded her of an older version of Mitsuba.

Above all, curiosity set in over all of the groups heads in regards to how powerful Autumn would be when fighting. They wanted to see her wielding both weapons and were very interested to know what her swords looked like, more so after Mika explained the blade he'd clashed against in minor detail.

"We're just about there, guys," Autumn uttered under her breath only loud enough for the three behind her to hear, "All we have to do is—"

Suddenly, Autumn slammed her heel into the ground to force herself to stop, almost causing the three behind her to crash into her. Shinoa looked up at her ready to say something, but she noticed how intensely the progenitor was focused on as she stared at a spot ahead of them.

Autumn's eyes narrowed as she gave a click of her tongue, "Damn it, of course he'd be here."

"Who?" Shinoa frowned.

Kimizuki and Yoichi exchanged looks, "Check it out."

Yoichi nodded and poised himself, aiming Gekkoin towards where Autumn was so focused on and waited for the focus to be enlarged. When he finally got a clear picture of who was ahead of them, he frowned and gulped at the sight of a familiar face.

"It's the Thirteenth Progenitor," Yoichi looked at Shinoa and Kimizuki, "It looks like he and his comrades have just finished a fight. There's another noble there as well, but I've never seen him before," He turned to Autumn, "He's wearing a black top hat and has another vampire standing behind him."

"Oh goody, Wesker's there with them," Autumn muttered angrily under her breath as she aggressively ran her fingers through her black hair.

"So, what do we do?" Kimizuki looked at Autumn, "Do we fight our way passed those four or do we stay here until they're gone?"

Autumn shook her head, "If we stay here too long, one of our groups is bound to get noticed. We slip by them a little farther out than originally planned. If Crowley finds us, even I will have my hands full."

Shinoa frowned, "Aren't you stronger than him?"

"Yes, but that's not the issue. There's one of me and four of them. Even I will have problems fighting off four nobles," Autumn grimaced, "Lets get going before they sense us or catch our scent."

Yoichi watched Autumn turn sharply and begin in another direction, just slightly off the course they were currently on. He could see Shinoa and Kimizuki's faces clearly, but neither one of them gave any indication that they were going to argue the progenitor down.

Meanwhile, Mika held back his team and frowned, "This isn't good."

"What's not?" Yuu glared, "We've been sitting here for over ten minutes and haven't gotten any signals to move. What the hell is going on, Mika?"

The blond vampire looked at Yuu, "Crowley Eusford and his two aides are up ahead. It seems that Lucal Wesker is also there, but I'm not sure. Autumn is leading the others away from him, so we should go now. We're going to take a different direction to avoid him, as well."

Mitsuba frowned, "I thought the progenitors in this city were near the center?"

"Autumn thought so too, but it seems that they were drawn out this way," Mika's eyes narrowed, "There's a strong scent of blood coming from that direction, so they must have been fighting against some human soldiers."

Yuu nodded slowly, "Alright, lets get going. We can't stay too far behind them or it's like Autumn said, you won't be able to track her down as easily."

"That's why Shinya is around somewhere," Narumi looked at the two, "He told me last minute that he was going to accompany us and be our eyes from the rooftops until we were out of the district. Told me that if we all got separated, he'd find us and lead us back to the others. I think he plans to come with us."

Mika frowned, "He'll be branded a traitor."

"I don't think he cares at this point. Since the Hiragi have completely taken over, he's been against their new way of teaching and also what they stand for. Shinya didn't want to be apart of that bullshit revolution Kureto spoke of, so that's when he approached me for the details of what we were doing," Narumi looked Mika in the eyes, "He should be near the outskirts of the city, so we're not that far from where he is. Trust me, he'll find us."

With a gentle shove, Yuu urged Mika forward, "We can talk about this after. Lets just get to where we need to be and get the hell out of this city. If those nobles get here, we don't stand a chance without the others against four of them."

Each of them agreed to keep moving and quickly set a fast pace to catch up to the others, having lagged behind significantly due to their discovery. Mika was able to clearly pick up on Autumn's scent and let his senses guide him towards her to better direct the others following closely behind him. His face remained neutral, but inside, he was worried about what should happen if the Thirteenth Progenitor caught Autumn's scent. Even though she reassured him many times that she and Crowley had already discussed her leaving, Mika still didn't trust the fact that her word was based on an agreement with a vampire who was allowing his mate to run off to protect humans. Crowley shared the same opinions and views as his predecessors when it came to the subject at hand, so it made him all the more cautious as they neared the area where the noble in question was currently occupying.

Mika's anxiety rose to high levels as they skirted around the war zone, making sure not to make any sudden movements or noise that could draw attention. Even Yuu, who was normally very loud and brash, stealthily followed his lead without hesitation. It wasn't until they reached a point where they were out of immediate danger when Mika released the breath he had been holding, slowing his pace to a more comfortable speed in relief that they'd managed to slip passed all of the progenitors.

"Damn, that was close," Narumi sighed deeply, "Do you think we really managed to give them the slip?"

Mika looked at him, "Seems like it. I'm not sensing any movement from where we just came from, but don't let your guard down. They're not that far up ahead of us, so lets keep going until we catch up."

"How much longer are we going to be moving?" Yuu looked at Mika, "I know you and Autumn don't get tired, but we can only take one more pill today or else we're in danger. We're going to need to stop soon."

"I know," Mika smiled small, "Lets just get to Autumn and the others and then we'll discuss it from there."

Narumi looked at Mika, "I have to ask for the sake of asking just one last time," When Mika's crystal blues landed on him, he crossed his arms over his chest, "Is she really trustworthy?"

"I wish I could say yes and stand behind that one-hundred percent, but I can only continue to assure you that she is on our side," Mika said honestly, "You're going to have to formulate your own opinion of her like the rest of us."

He wasn't satisfied, but Narumi had no choice but to accept Mika's words and save his complaints for later.

. . .

"Wow, that actually tired me out!" Chess stretched her arms above her head and sighed heavily, "I'm so thirsty now!"

Horn watched her and smiled, "I'm sure lord Crowley will allow you to feed from a few of the humans."

Chess grinned brightly, "I hope so. We definitely managed to capture a lot of them so I'm sure if two or three go missing it won't be so bad!"

The beautiful blond beside the bouncy, hyper vampiress shook her head with the same smile in place when she looked off to the side with a mixed expression, "We need to talk to lord Crowley about Autumn. He didn't seem happy when her name was brought up."

Chess looked at her and nodded slowly, "Yeah... He looked sad."

On cue, the two turned at the sound of footsteps approaching. Crowley looked down at both of them and smiled before turning to the Seventeenth Progenitor, who had followed him across the battlefield to hear if the Thirteenth Progenitor had anything of interest to say.

"Thanks for your help," Crowley grinned, "I figured you would enjoy a little entertainment."

Lucal turned to the taller progenitor and gave a flick of his hand, "It's not very often you of all people call on for my assistance, even if it was for fun and games. You're distracted by that infuriating female, aren't you?"

"Not really," Crowley chuckled, "She's her own anomaly, yes, but she's also a progenitor. She can handle herself."

"If you say," Lucal crossed his arms, "Come, Esther. Let us return to the compound."

Esther nodded and bowed politely to Crowley before following his master away from the battlefield.

Crowley watched the two in silence before turning back to his two aides, when a sudden tingle ran up his back followed by a very subtle shudder that took over his entire body. His eyes instantly flew to the edge of the clearing where many buildings were nestled together as his brows knit together ever so slightly. Was Autumn already on the move? If so, what he just felt must have been her. He was sure of it.

"Lord Crowley?" Horn looked up at him, concern flooding over her face.

His eyes flashed to her, "Take Chess and head back to the mansion. Feel free to feed on as many humans as you would like while I'm gone."

Chess went wide eyed and grinned brightly at his generosity while Horn could only nod slowly, "Yes, my lord."

Crowley waited for the two of them to follow his directions before walking across the field of rubble and dead bodies. When he neared one of the buildings, he crouched down to give more momentum to his leap as he sprung skyward. Once on top of the building, Crowley followed his senses and grinned when he finally caught Autumn's scent.

Yes, he promised not to follow her out of Nagoya, but she, and the group she was with, were still within his boarders.

So, true to his word, Crowley dashed forward and hopped from rooftop to rooftop, following just outside of Autumn or Mika's reach as they neared the city limits.

. . .

"Damn, that was way too close," Mitsuba sighed deeply, wiping her damp forehead with the back of her gloved hand before looking at Shinoa, "If you guys hadn't of changed paths, we may have walked right into those nobles."

Shinoa nodded, "Autumn was extremely adamant that we avoid them at all costs, considering there were four progenitors ahead of us before we took another route."

"Yeah, Mika said the same thing," Yuu looked at his companion, "Narumi said that Shinya was also nearby. Do you know if he's coming with us?"

"Yes, he is," Shinoa confirmed, "He should be joining us any time now."

Mika glanced back at the others before quickly scanning the area. He and Autumn agreed to quickly scout the area to see if they were clear to continue moving, but it ended up with Mika staying to protect the others or to lie should any of the guards come by. He still held a noble status, so he was more likely to mislead the others should the vampires question him about the humans by feeding them false information. She told him to tell anyone who inquired that they were prisoners, which in fact seemed rather believable with their casual attire on rather than the army uniforms.

He continued to look around until the familiar presence of Autumn washed over him, making his relax significantly, "She's back, so that means we're good to keep moving."

Yuu looked over and blinked, "She found Shinya."

"Or Shinya appeared out of nowhere and found her," Shinoa added in amusement.

Off to the side, Narumi and Kimizuki watched the Second Progenitor and Shinya walking side-by-side towards the group. The tall blond had a smile on his face as he spoke while Autumn looked extremely intrigued by what he was saying.

"Well hello everyone," Shinya looked at everyone with a small grin, "Are we all ready to go?"

"What made you decide to come with us?" Yuu pressed, already having been told this information from Narumi earlier but his curiosity about what the elder male had to say caught hold of him.

Shinya smiled at Yuu, "Someone has to stick around to discipline you all and take care of you. Besides, I couldn't relax knowing you were all out here on your own. Goshi wanted to bring the girls and come with us too, but they decided to stay behind to try and figure out a way to release Guren from his demon's control."

All of the ex-Moon Demon Army soldiers frowned at that but nodded nonetheless.

Autumn gave them all sympathetic looks, "Shinya told me what was going on, so I have a fairly good idea of what he's talking about. When this war is over, I may have a way of helping you all get the _human_ Guren back."

"Really?!" Yuu's eyes went wide, "You'd do that?"

"Sure, why not?" Autumn grinned, "You already know I'm not like other vampires. I actually like humans and don't mind helping them."

Shinya looked at Autumn, "Hopefully this war doesn't get as bad as everyone is expecting it to be. The humans plan to use their seraph to fight the vampires again."

"Don't worry about that," Autumn looked up at Shinya with a mischievous glint in her eye, "I doubt it'll come to that."

"Oh? What makes you so sure?" Shinya grinned down at her.

"I can't tell you, or else it would spoil the surprise."

After a few more minutes of idle chit-chat to level out some of the nerves built up from their almost encounter with four progenitors, they began making their way passed the city limits and into an area that had been completely taken back by the woods surrounding a once bustling town. Most of the buildings were beyond saving and deteriorating at rapid rates due to the loss of upkeep from the humans. There were also benches and small bus stations along what would have once been a sidewalk, but they were covered in green foliage now.

All of the minor details of the town were long forgotten as the group continued to push onward, passing several landmarks on the way to their first resting place.

"So Shinya," Narumi walked beside the former Major General and eyed him carefully, "What do you think of her?"

Shinya glanced at Narumi before looking towards Autumn, who was currently leading the group with Mika following closely behind her, "She doesn't seem suspicious to me, but she's still a vampire. We can't forget what either of them are. We'll never be able to give them our full trust."

Narumi nodded and eyed the progenitor, "She seems too friendly to even be a real vampire."

"From what little we could find about her before Goshi and I talked about who would stay and who would follow you guys, the documents suggested that she really was decent to the humans in Canada. She wasn't lying about any of that," Shinya said with a calm tone, hoping to ease Narumi in some way.

"I have to agree with Narumi," Kimizuki suddenly whispered, "A dangerous and extremely powerful vampire like her enjoying the company of humans and willingly helping us? That seems too good to be true if you ask me."

Shinya sighed and chuckled softly, "I can't say anything more than I already have, so I guess we'll all just have to wait and see. I don't have any reason to distrust her, so give her a chance. Mika, too."

From her spot at the front of the group, Autumn's lips tugged into a small grin as she secretly listened to their conversation. She didn't mind that there were a few of the humans who thought she was putting on an act, or that she seemed suspicious for her true nature. Her main objective with this mission she'd agreed to do wasn't to make friends, so it mattered very little of their opinions on her. She was merely there to protect them and to see to their safety when returning to the Capitol to hand them over to Krul for the Queen to take over the job of sheltering them.

. . .

"Lord Crowley, you're back!"

As he walked through the door to his office, he couldn't help but grin at the sight of three human bodies discarded on the floor. They were motionless and extremely pale with no active pulse, so he figured Chess must have drained them dry before realizing she killed them.

As he walked towards his desk, he could feel both of the ladies staring at him, waiting for him to speak. He took a moment to gather his thoughts as he shuffled around to the back of his desk and lowered himself onto his chair.

"My lord," Horn approached the desk as she lifted her arms to hug her torso comfortably, "You wanted to speak to us about Autumn?"

"Yes," Crowley sat back, lifting his feet up to rest on the top of his desk, "She is on a mission for the Queen and will be gone for an unknown period of time."

Chess went wide eyed, "What?! Why! I didn't think she even liked Queen Krul!"

"I don't think it had anything to do with that," He said softly, "Autumn wouldn't tell me any details, but I gathered a lot in the way she reacted to my questioning. I sensed her as she was leaving the city."

"Is that where you disappeared to?" Horn asked, purely out of curiosity.

Crowley nodded and grinned slightly, "Yeah. I promised not to chase after her outside of Nagoya, but I told her I would see her safely out of the city."

Horn frowned, "And you don't know how long she will be?"

"Nope," Crowley chuckled, "I wish I did, but unfortunately I don't. Until she comes home, we need to take care of Aries. I have a feeling she told Aries at least something in regards to what she was doing, and that she would be able to come to us if she needed anything. It also makes sense, considering Autumn doesn't trust Ferid."

Chess nodded, "Yeah, lord Ferid is so weird."

"He's entertaining," Crowley grinned, "Although, the more I observe him with Aries, the more I agree with Autumn."

"Oh?" Chess tilted her head, "You mean you agree with her now? I thought you considered lord Ferid a friend?"

Crowley chuckled, "Comrade is what I'd call him."

"Should we remove Aries from Ferid's care?" Horn asked with a serious tone.

The Thirteenth Progenitor shook his head, "No. That would give Ferid cause for suspicion. We will continue on as we are and patiently wait for Autumn's return, but offer sanctuary for Aries here should she feel the need to venture out of Ferid's hold."

Just as he knew they would, both Horn and Chess agreed to his words without hesitation.

. . .

Kureto Hiragi watched as his soldiers continued to prepare for their second attempt at war against the vampires. The weaponry, extra rations and medical supplies were packed tightly in containers that were wheeled onto several cargo planes already cleared for flight. From beside him, Aoi Sangu, his Colonel and right-hand personnel, continued to check off items from the list she held in her hands as she gave orders for the men to quicken pace.

"It's just as I thought," Kureto caught Aoi's attention and smirked, "We are so close to annihilating the vampire resistance for good, I can taste it. This time, we will not hold back."

Aoi nodded, "The seraph has been rehabilitated as well, so she will be ready for battle once more."

"Good. We will leave for Kyoto in ten days and attack where they converge in the city they call Sanguiem," Turning to his left, his eyes landed on a tall man with unkempt black hair and violet eyes, "I expect you to be ready as well, Guren."

Guren smirked and propped his hands on his hips, "Of course I'll be ready. It's about time we finally put an end to the vampire's reign. If we can take over the Capitol, then we have the upper hand at taking back Japan."

"Right you are," Kureto smirked.

* * *

 **So, I was originally going to have a small exert with Krul having a mental discussion with herself about what's been going on, but I'm going to save that for next chapter~**

 **I figured since the war is almost upon us that we needed to hear from the Moon Demon Army at some point, so here they are! It's going to take every ounce of my being not to refer to Kureto as "The Eyebrows", but I should be good once this all gets started.**

 **Aside from that, what's up with Shinya?! He's joining the rebels! A little bit more will be explained as to why he chose to join up with them, seeing as how I'm not following the main story to a 't'. I was originally going to have Guren's squad join up with Autumn and the others, but I figured that would be overkill. Shinya's beast enough on his own with those sniping skills, so I was content with adding him to the fun. ;D**

 **Next chapter is going to mostly be—if not all of it—about our lovelies who are trying to reach Fukushima and how they're all getting along. We're also going to see a lot of Autumn's personality we haven't gotten to see yet, as well as potentially watch her fight some enemy vampires. I haven't decided yet, but I promise it'll be worth the wait when she finally has both swords in her hands. ;)**

 **As for the Canadian vampires and poor Aden (who is having a cow at the moment), they'll be making another appearance shortly. Not all of the original characters that were listed off in the previous chapter will make an appearance to say that they're in the story, but some of them will. As for the main peeps from Canada, Aden, Kari and Annabelle will be the three to watch out for. If I had to give them a "rank", I'd say they're the closest to nobles as one could be. :)**

 **I see that a few more people have added this to their favorites and watch listing, so thank you guys so much! Glad to see I'm not the only one enjoying this~ :'D**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	8. CH VIII

**So, I read through all of the chapters and made the necessary changes~ I'll continue to go over them all as more chapters get added, since I'm not perfect and may have skipped a few things here and there :)**

 **I decided that this entire update will be with Autumn and the humans. I was going to add something with Krul, but I'm saving that for next chapter. The next update will bounce around quite a bit as it goes from company to company, so I'll just save anything else I was going to incorporate to this update till then. :D**

 **Now I did edit this, but I'll go back and reread in a few days to make sure I didn't miss anything.**

 **Also, to my three reviewers and my lovelies watching this series, thank you so much! Even though I don't hear from you all as much as I do my other reviewers from my other series, I love you all so very much! :')  
**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH VIII;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

Night had settled around the group of travelers after they'd continued to march through the smaller towns and wooded areas to avoid major cities where progenitors might have been. It was later decided after a vote, that they would find somewhere to bunker down for the night. They'd decided on an area where there was a small building that was still solid but was only missing one wall, so they would have protection on three sides. Yoichi and Shinya agreed to take turns with positions on the roof, while Mika and Autumn would be the primary guard on the ground to hold off any and all enemies. Upon arrival, they'd scattered into small groups to eliminate the Four Horsemen of John in the immediate area before returning to the camp.

"Alright, so before I left, I managed to grab quite a few supplies," Shinya smiled as he set his brown travel bag down in front of him before opening it and riffling through it, "I have an assortment of dehydrated goods that the military had just began to create for situations where the soldiers managed to find fresh water. I also have canned goods, and not just rations from the Moon Demon Army, either."

All eyes went wide as he began pulling items out of his bag, "Wow, Shinya! This is incredible!"

"I knew you'd pull through," Narumi grinned.

"Don't mention it," Shinya grinned back, "So, pick what you'd all like to have an then we'll put the rest away for tomorrow. Oh, and I also have bread. I only managed to grab three loaves, so lets make it last."

Immediately, all of the ex-soldiers began preparing the area for a small fire to boil water in preparation for the food to be cooked. Meanwhile, Autumn and Mika stood outside on the roof as they quietly bickered back and forth about his needing to feed.

"If you don't accept this damn blood bag, I'll force-feed you," Autumn narrowed her eyes, "You're going to put these kids in danger if you don't make the transition. Do you want to endanger your precious Yuu?"

Mika glared, "No! I'd never put him in danger!"

"Then drink," She said seriously, her own ruby eyes narrowing at the young vampire, "I know it's not exactly the best way to live, but you'll turn into a demon that I'll have to kill. I will share my blood bags with you without a problem, so just drink it."

Mika shook his head stubbornly, "I still have some of Krul's blood."

"Yeah, four vials out of a pack that should have lasted you at least a few days," Autumn pointed out, earning a shocked but glared look from the blond, "You didn't think I'd notice you sneaking those every time you looked as though you were going to grab one of those humans? Come now, Mika. I'm old, but I'm not stupid."

He flinched and let his eyes land on the bag in her hand that she still held out to him, "Is this how you treated Aries when she was at the end of her rope?"

"No. Aries was never this bad," Autumn grinned, "But she was close to getting to where you are. I let her feed from me for about a week and after that, she was on her own. She came to me and begged me to feed her, but I simply brought her to her room and sat her on her bed while I emptied a bag of blood into a glass for her. She said it made it easier seeing it that way. It reminded her of wine instead of human blood."

Mika frowned and nodded slowly, "I suppose that wouldn't be so bad."

"Which is why I came prepared," Autumn smirked triumphantly, pulling a cup from out of nowhere and used her teeth to pull out the seal of the bag before she emptied half of it into the cup, "I've seen it in your eyes, Mika. You need to feed, or else the thirst will start to take over and you won't be able to stop."

His eyes went wide and his pupils dilated as he watched the thick, red liquid pool in the cup she held in her hands and sloshed about. He could feel his throat constrict and his stomach knot with the scent that drifted his way. Suddenly, he became extremely aware of the woman in front of him and practically salivated at the thought of tasting her, despite her being an immortal like him.

"Here," She held out the cup to him and gave him a warning look, "I'll break every bone in your damn body if you attack me. Now drink."

With all of his willpower, Mika took heavy steps towards her. He demanded himself that he keep his eyes on the prize, not letting his slit pupils look away from the red liquid in the glass. As he neared her, he reached out to accept her gift and lifted it to his mouth. The scent alone caused a shiver to run down his spine, followed by the full-body shudder that took hold of him once the liquid finally touched his tongue.

Autumn watched with a grin as he downed the glass relatively quickly. She closed the distance between the two and emptied the rest of the bag in her hands into the cup, watching as he greedily drank that as well.

"There," She smiled, reaching up to ruffle his hair gently, "Now you'll feel a lot better."

Mika took a moment to regain himself before he looked at her, "I..."

"Deep breaths," Autumn said in a more gentle tone than what she'd started with, "Take a moment and breath deeply."

He nodded slowly and did as he was told, inhaling slowly before releasing. All the while, she watched as his memorable crystal blues turned to the prominent ruby red that all vampires were known for.

"Your friends are in for a shock when they see you," Autumn giggled, "Those eyes are quite something."

Mika's face fell as he brought his fingers to touch just below his eyes, "My eyes? They're red now?"

"Yep. No going back now," She smirked, "Like I said before, I can go a couple of weeks without worrying about getting thirsty, but I'll probably indulge at the same time as you when I get you to feed. Half a bag each everyday will keep us both satisfied and put the cravings to bed."

"Alright," Mika nodded, "Won't we run out quickly if we do that?"

Autumn scoffed, "Your Queen packed over three months supply, and that's with regular feeding. She must have figured having you with all of these humans would cause you to get a burn in the back of your throat, so we'll take advantage of her generosity. Besides, with a healthy appetite and regular snacking, you won't get the urge to rip into someone. If that happens," She suddenly gave him an innocent smile, "I'll shove a whole blood bag down your throat."

"I see," He looked away from her for a moment, "Should we go back inside?"

"You can if you'd like and join them while they eat," Autumn smiled, "I'll be alright to take watch by myself for a while."

Mika frowned, "But–"

"No but's," Autumn gave him a shove forward, "Shoo!"

Reluctantly, Mika walked over to the edge and hopped down to join Yuu and his comrades. When he walked in, all of the humans gasped at the sight of his ruby eyes.

Autumn couldn't help but grin as she listened to everyone comment on Mika's eyes. Some of them were dreadful, while others (mainly Yuu) were congratulatory. She knew that the seraph host didn't want to see his closest friend die because of his displeasure to feed from a human, so she knew he would have been the happiest to notice the change.

As she listened to them, her mind wondered to her family back in Canada and the ones she left behind in Nagoya. She wondered how Aden was handling himself and how he was going to ready the troupes in time for their deadline. That thought led to Aries, who was with the one vampire she would have liked to have taken a strip out of before leaving. She didn't trust Ferid or even enjoy the look of him, but Aries was sticking behind him. Deep down, Autumn wanted to believe along with Aries, that Ferid had a sliver of honesty in him. She knew Aries wanted to believe that he was a good person so that she could show her companions how great a mate he could be.

She also wanted to believe in her mate, knowing that he was still under Ferid's faction. Autumn had no doubt in her mind that Crowley would still be associated with the Seventh Progenitor once he'd become bonded in blood to her, but the fact that he would outrank the untrustworthy male put her mind at ease. In the eyes on the vampires, Ferid would no longer have control over Crowley. Perhaps it was more for his protection than his rank, that she felt this ease in regards to the tall male. There was also the matter of his aides, who he had a very large attachment to. Autumn herself, would be lying if she denied having her own attachment to Chess and Horn. She'd grown very fond of the two, and hoped they would get along with a few of her Canadian vampires to help the transition when she brought up the idea of moving abroad with her.

The thought alone made her grin, knowing that as long as Crowley said he wanted to, she figured those two would be more than happy to travel along with him.

. . .

Yuu watched Mika as his blond companion sat beside him, "The red eyes suit you, Mika."

"Thanks, I guess," Mika muttered, trying to avoid looking at the others when he felt their eyes on him.

Shinoa smiled, "Did Autumn convince you to finally drink some human blood?"

"Yes," Mika met her eyes, "She and I have enough to last us quite a while, so she had me drink a full bag to help keep my thirst under control until we feed tomorrow."

"Doesn't she need a full bag?" Kimizuki asked as his brow rose.

Mika shook his head, "No, because she's an older noble. She can go for weeks without feeding if she needed to."

"That's right," Mitsuba nodded, "She's over two-thousand years old, so she would have good self-control."

Narumi scoffed slightly, "That still doesn't excuse the fact that once they run out of blood bags, we're in danger."

"Then they can feed from me," Yuu glared, "We're not going to kick them out of the group because of that."

Shinya looked at Yuu, "Well, that wouldn't be advised, either. If they continue to drink from you and you have no other way to rest, you'll end up dying from blood loss."

Yuu glared, "Well, they have to get blood from somewhere!"

"She offered to go hunt elsewhere, so I'll just go with her when she does," Mika said in a tone that he hoped would calm Yuu down, "Like me, she doesn't enjoy drinking from humans like the other vampires."

Shinya looked at the blond, "So, what does she do when she's back in Canada?"

"Apparently all of her humans are allowed to live similarly to those who used to live in the country back before the apocalypse happened. They're given jobs and other tasks. She said they're allowed to remain in their small communities and have a handful of vampires guarding the area from any dangers," Mika explained with a small smile, "She said that they're taught to respect vampires, rather than fear them."

His revelation shocked all of the humans, watching their eyes go wide.

"Wow," Yoichi grinned, "Sounds like a place that we should have lived in before all of this."

Mika nodded, "Aries told me the same thing when I'd spoken to her. She was once a human that lived under Autumn's protection, but was turned later in life and had become the Fifth Progenitor. All of the vampires drink strictly from a blood bag."

"Oh?" Shinya grinned, "So she teaches all of the vampires that drinking from a human, inside her compound and outside, is forbidden? Sounds too good to be true."

Mika looked at him, "Like I said, she teaches the humans in Canada to respect the vampires, but there's also the even trade of them having a healthy respect for the humans, too."

"Having a nice little chat about me, are ya?" Autumn grinned, leaning against the frame of the wall leading to the outside.

All eyes turned to her at the sound of her voice, earning a wider grin from the black haired progenitor.

"We were just talking about how you're unusually fair to humans in your country," Shinya smiled.

Autumn shrugged, "If we show them that we're not terrifying, it makes it easier when they have to donate blood. We call it donating, because they give it willingly. If we teach them from a young age that as long as they are respectful they have nothing to worry about, then we remove the fear that comes with their monthly visits to our collection facility. We also make sure the humans are as comfortable as possible when hooked up to the intervenes. They're given a good meal afterwards, too."

Narumi's eyes narrowed, "Why go to such lengths?"

Autumn looked at him and took a long moment to decide how she was going to answer him. She had several responses in her mind as she continued to match eyes with him, but the best one she'd come up with just spilled from her lips before she could stop it.

"I don't expect you to believe me when I say this, but I'm hoping that one day, vampires and humans can live on mutual grounds and have the decency to live in the same territory as allies instead of enemies," Autumn said honestly, "It's a tough world out there without the threat of the vampires, so why not envision a world where we can live together in peace?"

"That's wishful thinking," Kimizuki muttered, earning a glare from Shinya and Shinoa.

"I think it's a beautiful vision, although it's a stretch," Shinya turned to Autumn, "It's too bad that many of the others don't think like you."

"That is, if she's not bullshitting us," Narumi was still watching Autumn with narrowed eyes, "Ever think that she's just feeding us this crap to gain our trust?"

Autumn smiled at him, "I enjoy the fact that you and Kimizuki play the devil's advocate, but it's not necessary. I don't have any reason to lie to you. After all, I chose to come here with Mika of my own free will and left behind the one person I care about more than my own life in the hands of an untrustworthy, scheming little slime-dog of a progenitor. To accuse me to lying to you here and now is just incredibly inconsiderate of you, considering you have no idea what I've given up to see to it that you're all alive when we go back."

Narumi frowned at that while everyone else processed her words.

Shinya was the first to speak, "In regards to that, I assume you mean Aries?"

"Yep," Autumn shifted against the wall she was leaning on, "Aries was one of the handful I've ever changed with my own blood. A lot of the others are remnants of other vampires, while the majority of the army I have are my descendants after being changed by Aries blood."

Shinya nodded while Shinoa and Kimizuki exchanged glances, "Can I ask you something, Autumn?"

"You already are, so keep going," Autumn grinned at her, knowing by the look in the girl's eyes that it would have something to do with Crowley.

Sure enough, the minute Shinoa began to speak, Mika eyed the Second Progenitor awaiting on how she would answer the young girl, "About that man."

"Ah yes, the Thirteenth Progenitor, Crowley Eusford," Autumn sighed slightly before looking up at the ceiling, "Where do I begin with that one. Well first off, he's my mate."

Yoichi, Shinya and Yuu openly gaped at her while Mitsuba, Shiona, Kimizuki and Narumi watched her cautiously.

"Crowley Eusford is my mate, but at the moment, he's not entirely mine," Autumn explained, choosing to explain rather than deal with their scrutinizing glares, "In order for progenitors or lower level nobles to become one with their mates, they need to feed from one another and to actually _do the dirty_. I told Crowley that when I returned that he could bond with me, but I avoided it so that when Mika and I took you all and ran, he wouldn't be able to track me down so easily. If he'd fed from me, we never would have made it out of there even if the bond wasn't complete."

"Why is that?" Yoichi asked, earning a grin from Autumn.

"When a mate feeds from their intended, I suppose you could say they receive a massive upsurge of power," Autumn explained, "Since you all knew who he was I'm assuming you've fought with him before, so you know that Crowley is already dangerously powerful on his own. Why give him an advantage when I need to protect you?"

Shinya shifted so he was turned around to face her, "What about Aries? You said that she was with a progenitor you didn't trust."

Mika felt the air tense as Autumn stared at Shinya, "She's with Ferid Bathory, the Seventh Progenitor. Need I say more?"

Yuu grimaced at the name, "You let her be with that bloodsucker?!"

"Watch it," Mika frowned, "Don't forget that her and I are vampires, too."

Yuu would have apologized, but he was fixated on Autumn at the moment, "Why would you let her be with him? Do you know what he did to mine and Mika's family?! He ripped everyone apart!"

"Oh trust me, I know exactly what he is," Autumn sighed and reached up to play with the end of her long tresses, "Unfortunately, mates are absolute. There's nothing I could have done other than to keep her away from him, but we came to Japan in order to negotiate with Krul Tepes. I won't lie and say that I wasn't curious to see if this whole mate ordeal was true or false, but when it turned out to be a reality, I knew I made a mistake bringing her here. What happens is on me."

Shinya looked at her, "You say that, but on the same breath you seem as though you would have regretted not coming here."

"You're right," She smiled, "I wouldn't have met Crowley, Chess and Horn. I also wouldn't have met Mika, who led me to all of you. Despite the fact you don't trust me, I see you all as companions and I won't let any of them hurt any of you."

Narumi and Kimizuki looked a little skeptical, but the others nodded and smiled back at her.

Up to this point, she'd really given them all no reason to feel she was lying to them. She'd been honest, and protected them in a very situation where she could have led them into a trap. Once she revealed the truth about Crowley Eusford, they realized just how dangerous their objective to flee from Nagoya really was. They also had to consider the fact that despite him being her mate, she still led them to safety rather than joining up with him.

"Thank you," Shinoa looked at Autumn, "Really. Thank you for agreeing to do this."

Autumn smiled, "It's no trouble at all. Well, at least for you guys. When I get back, it's going to be pandemonium."

Mika frowned, "You could always leave with us?"

"You know I can't do that. If I leave with you guys, then I'm going to get Aries first and you know what that means," She looked at him, "If Aries follows, Ferid will also follow. Whether it be out of some twisted form of love he has for her, or the fact that vampires are greedy creatures that don't like their things taken from them, he'll follow. Crowley will also want to join us with his two aides because of me, and I know for a fact that Chess will have a harder time controlling herself around all these guys."

Shinya looked at her as he stood up, "So then, what's the plan on your end?"

"I'm to escort you all to a safe zone and protect you until after the war," Autumn watched him, "When the war is over, I will bring you all back to Sanguinem and you will stay under the Queen's protection should the vampires prove victorious against the humans. I think she wants to make you all an offer, although I don't think you'd all be willing to march into the vampire Capitol willingly."

"What?!"

"You guys could also come back home with me," She grinned, silencing all of their complaints, "I can offer you all jobs you're suited to, and it would give some of the humans more confidence to possibly pursue a path in helping protect Canada."

Mitsuba blinked at her generous offer, "Really? You'd let us go back with you?"

"Why not? It's not like you're all employed at the moment," Autumn looked at her, "I could use people like you to help put some backbone into my armies. Aden, my Lieutenant General and third-in-command, would find it interesting if you all came back with me. He'd probably even offer to train you all. Annabelle, too."

"We'll definitely consider it," Shinoa said before anyone else could speak.

She caught Yuu and Mika both smiling at the offer Autumn put out there, but from the corner of her eye she could see Kimizuki and Narumi with the same suspicious look in their eyes. Yoichi and Mitsuba, however, looked rather excited about the idea.

"I'm going to take first watch," Shinya looked at Yoichi, "So get some rest and I'll wake you up when it's your turn."

Yoichi nodded and smiled, "Alright."

Shinya smiled back and made his way over to Autumn, "Mind if I have a word?"

"Of course," She pushed off the wall and followed him outside and up to the roof, "You're not going to tell me that I'm a good con-woman, are you?"

He chuckled, "No, not at all. In fact, I think you would be a good influence on these kids," He could feel her eyes on him as he laid down on his belly and got into position, "Once you get to know their personalities and gain their trust, I'm sure they'll agree to go back with you. They have nothing left to leave behind because they have their families with them right now, so it's just a matter of getting them out of the country."

"Will you be joining us?" Autumn grinned, "I have to admit, I've taken quite the liking to you already. It would be a shame if you stayed behind."

Shinya smiled, "I'm flattered. I'll definitely have to think about that, but first thing's first. We need to survive this war and find a way to get Guren back. I'm sure once he's no longer being possessed, he and his squad will want to join us, too."

"Ah yes, the human you all spoke to me about," Autumn looked ahead and scanned the land in front of them, "I think I have a good idea on how to get him back, but your companions may not like how it's done."

"As long as you don't have to kill him, I'm sure they'll understand if they knew it would help," Shinya glanced back at her, "If you had to turn him into a vampire, I'm sure that would cause an uproar."

Autumn grinned, "No, nothing like that."

* * *

 **Andddd done! Muhahahaha!**

 **I'm really bad for ending at random moments, so don't mind me. ;D**

 **So, we got to learn quite a bit about Autumn! Was it anything else that we expected? Probably not, because I just elaborated on what we already knew. I suppose I'm saving the new stuff for when we see her in action (aka, when we learn about her swords~). ;)**

 **Next update will be a mix of everyone else. I'm probably not going to put Autumn and the group in it, but focus on what's going on in preparation for the war. We're going to see Aries and Ferid again to see how she's doing, and also Crowley and our two favorite aides will make an appearance! As promise, Krul is also going to be in the next one, and maybe I'll add a little of our Canadian friends!**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	9. CH IX

**Well, since I'm done my homework for the evening and wanted to get this one out even though it's on the short side, here's the next update! :)**

 **We hear a little more about the customs that Autumn and Aries set in Canada that really differs from the Japanese standards for humans, so that will be a little peek into what we're about to see. I do plan on having at least ONE chapter set in Canada with all of the new characters and with one of the pairings, but I haven't decided which of the Japanese progenitors will be sent off to live with their mate. Hmm... Decisions, decisions. ;)**

 **Like I said, this is a little on the short side, so I apologize for that and will make it up with the next update! :)**

 **NOTE: There is a section where the Canadian vampires are speaking English in this, so it is all italicized as usual~ :)**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH IX;;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

"You may be wondering why I called you here alone today," Krul watched Aries closely as she remained in a slouched position on her throne.

Aries shook her head, "No, but I have a feeling it has to do with Autumn's disappearance."

"It does," She shifted in her seat, "I sent her on a special mission and although I won't give you the details, I figured you should know that she will be back sometime after the war has ended. I will be sending Crowley to go and get her when the time comes."

The blond sitting across from the Queen frowned, not knowing if she should reveal that Autumn had already told her that she was sent on a mission. It bothered her that she didn't know how long her companion would be, or where she was and what was happening.

Krul took her silence as confirmation that she'd already spoken with Autumn and grinned somewhat, "Would it make you feel better if I told you that she was with humans?"

"Humans?" Aries brow rose, somewhat confused that Autumn would leave that part out, "You sent her off to find some humans?"

"Not find, but protect," The Queen leaned forward and locked eyes with Aries, "She's protecting two very important people and their companions. It may also put your mind to ease that Mika is with her and is one of the ones she is protecting."

Aries eyes widened slightly, "You sent your pet off with her? Why him?"

"Haven't you noticed he's been missing?" Krul said grinning, "As I said, he is one of the two she is protecting so that's why I sent him with her."

Aries crossed her arms under her bust and grinned back, "I see. You always spoke more to Autumn, so I was under the assumption that he was off on some reckon mission with Lacus and Rene."

Krul shrugged, "I figured he would be better suited to this task with Autumn, and it keeps him out from under everyone's radar for when this battle starts."

"Speaking of which, I sent Aden the notice that you require them here by the end of the week. I should tell you that a majority of the troupes speak Japanese, and that all commanding officers speak it fluently so there will be no issues in language barriers," Aries said, deciding it was time to change the subject, "I'm requesting permission to lead the Canadian forces since Autumn won't be here to do it herself."

Krul nodded, "Fine with me, as long as you lead them properly and don't disappoint."

Aries took offense to her words but didn't show it, "I will."

"Good," Krul grinned, "They should be here in three days anyway, so you have my permission to go and meet them should you wish. All of the commanders can remain either here in my castle, or they can stay with you in Ferid's mansion. The soldiers themselves are free to remain in the barracks to better acquaint themselves with my troupes."

"I'm sure Ferid will have a field day when he knows that you have volunteered his home without his knowledge and consent," Aries said with an amused grin.

"He'll get over it," Krul waved her hand, "Besides, if he's to return with you to Canada when you leave, he'll need to get to know your higher ups and attempt to make friends with them."

Aries looked at her, "What makes you think that he'll be coming with me?"

"Autumn will stay here," Krul gave her a confident look, "I'll give her a reason to stay."

"She's the ruler of Canada. I'm sure she won't give that up so easily, even if you two were once discussing terms of an alliance," Aries stood up, "It will be a decision that her and I will talk about, _alone_."

Krul grinned as she watched her, "Is that so?"

"It is," She bowed slightly at the waist, "As always, thank you for your stimulating conversation."

The vampire Queen took no offense to her rude tone as she watched the Fifth Progenitor stride out of the throne room. Once she was alone, Krul sat back against her seat again and grinned to herself, letting her mind wonder to her two precious pets and how Autumn was doing with all of the humans. She knew the woman enjoyed being around humans more than any normal vampire should, so Krul had her guaranteed investment in her seraph's protection.

"Hmm," Krul leaned against the right side of her throne and rested her chin on her fist, "I wonder if Autumn will remain true to our deal after all of this is done? Or perhaps she may try to steal my humans from me."

Krul had thought about all of the different possibilities before she'd asked Autumn to do this errand for her, but now that she was gone and her two pets were with her, the Queen was having second thoughts. There was also the negotiations that Aries brought up that were unfinished. True, Krul had no problem retaining an alliance with a very formidable army of vampires led by the Second Progenitor, but the thought of having them under her own command crossed her mind.

What if Krul eliminated Autumn and took over Canada?

Krul frowned at this, knowing that it would be extremely simple to take over Canada now that Autumn's title and pull as a progenitor was dangerously close to being removed should the Council hear of their current situation. If the Queen, or even any of the vampires around her, decided to cause a fuss at her absence, all she had to say was that the Canadian progenitor chose to go with the humans. It would be seen as a crime, and she would most likely be given orders to hunt Autumn down.

Not that she considered that an option, knowing how Aries would react. There was also Ferid, who would be more than happy to assist Aries in fighting her since she knew the Seventh Progenitor was simply waiting for the opportune moment to strike her down. Crowley would also prove to be a difficult obstacle, as would his two aides.

"It would seem I have to play my cards right in order for this to go in my favor," Krul muttered to herself as she tapped the pad of her finger to her chin.

. . .

Aries walked across the bridge to meet Ferid, who was waiting for her with a smile, "Sorry it took so long. Krul was telling me what she had in mind for the living arrangements for my soldiers when they get here."

"Oh?" Ferid took her hand and linked their fingers together, "Will she be playing the part as a hostess for the duration of their stay?"

Aries grinned up at him, "Actually, she wants you to offer rooms to the higher ranking commanders of the army. Out of the eight that are coming, I'm sure only four or five will stay, since the others will most likely want to stay with their troupes."

"I see," He gave an amused chuckle, "Very well then, I'll see to it that eight rooms are prepared to air on the side of caution."

"How thoughtful of you," Aries continued to grin, "I'm to go and greet them when they arrive. Would you like to join me?"

Ferid smiled a charming smile, "Of course! I would love to meet your fellow Canadian vampires."

She eyed him for a moment before nodding, "All I have to say is that you shouldn't take offense to anything Aden or Kari have to say. They're two of the youngest in the army and are the most opinionated. You could say that because Autumn spoiled them, that they don't exactly know how to respect their elders."

"How unfortunate," Ferid frowned, "And you did nothing to discipline the poor children?"

Aries grinned, "If I tried to, Autumn brushed anything that I did off and told me to lighten up."

"That sounds like her," Ferid mused, "Well then, should I expect more human-huggers when they arrive?"

"Oh yes," Aries giggled, "Only one of the vampires coming doesn't exactly follow our values, but he won't hurt a human unless told to do so."

Ferid's eyes began to twinkle with excitement at the idea, when she shot him an amused smirk.

"Don't bother trying to corrupt him. He only listens to Autumn and me," Aries winked, "He's got an iron will and he's extremely devoted to us, especially me. I saved him when he was a human, so in return he's vowed to protect me."

With a chuckle, Ferid lifted her hand and pressed a quick kiss to back of it, "He doesn't need to worry about that any longer. You have me now."

"More the merrier, Ferid," She winked again, "Then again, you'll be matched with me when this whole thing is done and over with."

He smirked, "Ah yes, the more intimate part of this deal."

"After the war, we'll discuss it. Until then, you have your imagination to help comfort you," Aries said innocently, earning a feigned look of hurt from the Seventh Progenitor.

"Oh, Aries. You wound me," He sighed dramatically, "Leaving me to bottle up all of my affections for you until the last possible moment. Such a tragic romance this is turning into."

She couldn't help but laugh at his theatrics, "I know."

The two walked through the streets of Sanguinmen as they made their way back to Ferid's mansion, all the while in a comfortable silence. Aries would glance to her mate out of the corner of her eye, noticing that he seemed somewhat deep in thought. Finally, after a few more minutes of silence, Ferid noticed she'd been watching him and looked down at her.

"So," Ferid's expression was one of genuine curiosity, somewhat surprising Aries, "Tell me about your nobles?"

Aries smiled, "Well, Autumn and I are technically the only nobles in Canada, but I assume that since we turned some of them that it would make them nobles, wouldn't it?"

"That's correct," Ferid grinned, "So it would seem that there are more than just you two. How many have you both changed?"

"Hmm, good question," Aries blinked and looked up towards the ceiling of the underground city, "Probably around fifteen of them, but I would have been the one to turn the majority of them. Autumn was more particular in who she chose."

Ferid chuckled, "I see. That seems unlike her to be picky."

"Oh, trust me, she's very particular on who she turns into a vampire," Aries looked at him, "Out of the commanders that are coming, she's only turned two of them."

"Only two?" His brow rose.

Aries nodded, "Yes. Her Lieutenant General Aden Maxwell, who she hand picked a few hundred years ago after he and his little sister, Annabelle Maxwell, were orphaned. There's a story behind why she chose those two, though. The other is Major General Nicholi Armas, but she just liked his spunk so there's not much to tell about him."

"I see. They must have been special to catch a progenitors eye," Ferid grinned.

"You mean the Maxwell siblings? Well, she knew their parents and watched them grow up before the accident, so you could say that they look up to her like a surrogate mother," Aries smiled, "Aden was the only vampire other than myself that she personally trained one-on-one while the rest were done in a group, but she wanted him to be strong enough to take position as third-in-command. He is her left hand, while I am her right."

Ferid looked amused, "She gave a newborn such a high position? Well, that explains why they have no respect."

"I can agree with you on that one, but you've met Autumn," Aries grinned fondly at her own answer, "Aden is just like her, only he's a man. Annabelle is more reserved and into her job like the others. Kari, who is Aden's assistant, is the youngest out of the three _kids_ and is quite immature. Aden turned her with permission from Autumn, so she's like the two of them combined in blood and in attitude. She was screwed from the beginning with them as role models."

A sigh escaped Ferid's lips, "I wonder how poor Crowley will deal with such intolerable subordinates."

"He has been with Chess for a while, so I'm sure he'll do fine. Kari is very similar to her, so I can't see Crowley not being able to adapt to another hyper vampire around him all the time," Aries smiled.

Ferid nodded in agreement, "I suppose that little fact is true. Well, we won't have much longer to wait."

"Nope!" She suddenly had a bright smile on her face, "My family is on their way to meet us and help with your little human problem. I can't wait to see them again."

"You miss your home?" The corner of his mouth twitched.

"I do," Aries looked at him as they arrived at his mansion, "I miss all of the goofballs that are in our ranks, and I wanted to watch some of the human children grow up and choose to join our army."

This surprised Ferid, "You actually give the livestock a chance to become a vampire?"

"Why not?" Her brow rose, "It gives them the chance to join us in protecting the others, and since we teach all of the other humans to respect the vampires, nothing really changes except for their diet. Those who choose not to join our army are not penalized for their decisions, but they're made to go to a class that teaches them very similar subjects like a normal school would have before all of this."

She watched the expressions in Ferid's eyes changing and grinned up at him.

"Still finding that hard to wrap your head around? If you come back to Canada with me, you're going to have to get used to seeing it," Aries turned to face him, "As a progenitor, you will be asked to teach the young vampires how to fight, too. It's a rule that Autumn and I both settled on, being that no one is exempt from this."

Ferid huffed slightly, "I doubt that."

"I'll change your mind eventually, don't you worry," She flashed him a grin.

. . .

" _Aden_ ," Kari looked at the tall male and smiled, " _We're all ready to go and are currently having the troupes loaded onto the planes. If we leave now, we can arrive in Japan almost two days ahead of schedule._ "

Aden, who had been standing with his arms crossed as he chewed on the back of one of his thumbs, turned back and looked at her, " _Oh yeah? Good. Lets get ready to leave so we can get this bullshit over with. Hopefully when we land, Aries is there to meet us._ "

Kari grinned, " _Miss her that much?_ "

" _Shut up,_ " He said sourly, " _Autumn won't be leading us so Aries will have to. She's not as comfortable in the position as our commander and lacks confidence when on the battlefield. I'm just worried about her getting distracted, that's all._ "

" _She may not even fight,_ " Annabelle said as she walked up to join the two, " _The progenitor that she's with probably won't let her fight. I guess that once a male and female are bonded, they can influence their counterparts decisions. He may try to talk her out of joining us at the front._ "

Aden scoffed, " _Any and all vampire squads are always led by a progenitor, and I refuse to be bossed around by one of the Japanese nobles._ "

" _Brother,_ " Annabelle sighed, " _Don't start a war between us because of your pride. They know these humans and what they're capable of, so if the Queen chooses to have someone lead us, so be it. Besides, rumor has it that Autumn's mate will be joining our squadron since he's apparently an extremely formidable opponent and very powerful even without having bonded with our lovely Second Progenitor._ "

Another scoff, " _Is that so? Well then, I'll demote myself and remain with the emergency squad that tends to the injured if he's so great. When Autumn comes back, I'll deal with her wrath then._ "

Both Kari and Annabelle smirked, " _You, the proud Lieutenant General who was hand picked and privately trained by Autumn herself, will join the the lowest squad on our list to pout and avoid meeting a vampire who may be stronger than you? How the mighty have fallen._ "

Aden glared dangerously at the two, " _Both of you shut the fuck up!_ "

" _Aw, we mad him angry~_ " Kari giggled, " _Calm down, Aden. We're only having some fun. You've been so testy since Autumn and Aries left that now you can't even take a damn joke. It was in the last letter Aries sent that all of the heavy-hitters are to be with us, so calm your man bulbs and relax._ "

Aden shot her a sour look, " _Let's just go._ "

" _All of the troupes are already boarded onto the plane, so they're just waiting on us,_ " Kari repeated, " _So come on, sour apple._ "

Another sour look was shot but Aden didn't say a word. He simply followed behind his assistant and the colonel until they got to the cargo docks. When he didn't see any of the other leading commanders that would be fronting their assigned battalions, he assumed they were already boarded onto the planes as well.

. . .

"Lord Crowley!"

"Yes?" He said with a smile, his eyes never leaving the papers in his hands, "What can I do for you, Chess?"

Chess, who was standing on the other side of his desk, shifted on her feet with her hands behind her back and a nervous expression on her face, "I, uh... Might have done something bad."

"Oh? What might that be?" Crowley asked, turning the page over to read through the other side.

He was met by silence at first, but he heard Chess shift again and decided to turn around to look at her. What he was met with made his lips pull into a grin at the sight of very familiar clothing hanging off Chess' body.

"Now, where did you get those?"

Horn stood off to the side with a guilty look on her face while Chess stood in front of Crowley's desk wearing one of the shirts that Autumn left behind and a pair of pajama shorts that he'd also seen her sporting around the manor in at one point.

"I couldn't help it!" Chess frowned, "I miss her! Horn does, too! I only put these on because they smell like her!"

Crowley sighed and set his papers down, "I know you both do and so do I, but we need to be patient and wait for her to return."

"Lord Crowley, is it true what you'd told us, about her going off on a special mission from the Queen?" Horn asked curiously.

He nodded, "Yes, and I have a feeling the humans that I saw her with is the reason why she was specifically requested. The Queen knew that Autumn wouldn't harm them, so when she chose her to go with her pet, she guaranteed all of their safety."

"You saw her running away with humans?" Chess frowned, "But why would she do that?"

Horn walked over to her and sighed, "He just said that it was a mission given to her, Chess. Please pay closer attention."

She ignored the way the tiny girl huffed at her and watched Crowley and the way he sat back in his seat with his eyes towards the other side of the room. He looked like he was contemplating something, but what that might have been, she couldn't be sure.

"When those Canadian vampires arrive, I think I'm going to ask a few of them to come with me to find her," Crowley said with a small grin, "Aries will most likely agree and order them to follow my lead, so then we can go and meet up with our little Autumn and those humans without Ferid following us."

Chess smiled brightly, "Really?!"

"Yes," He looked at her, "I know she didn't want me to go after her, but if things get ugly here, who knows how long she'll have to keep those humans away from the city."

Horn smiled small, "You're getting impatient, aren't you?"

"Mm," He nodded in agreement and stood up, rounding the desk to walk over to his two aides, "We will wait for them to arrive and when they do, we will be there with Aries and Ferid when they greet them. I want you two to make sure Ferid is distracted enough so that I can have a private word with Aries, so I'd like you perform your best when the time comes."

"Yes, my lord," Horn nodded while Chess beamed up at him excitedly.

* * *

 **Sorry for this being so short, but I didn't want to add anything extra so that the next chapter is when everything really begins on the vampire's end. The Canadian peeps will be arriving next update and we're also going to hear from our friends in the Moon Demon Company. As much as I love (hate) writing Kureto, he will be a pretty significant player in the battle that's about to happen, as will Guren.**

 **Aside form that, next we'll also see how our lovely Autumn and her group are doing! I really adore Shinya, so he'll be talking quite a bit in the next one! :)**

 **Also, for those of you interested, I've posted a Crowley x Reader lemon on my Deviantart account, kayorisatou, and will be typing out one for Shinya soon, Guren, Mika, and possibly Kimizuki. As for the others, I'll be making a list and just checking them off as I go, but if anyone has a possible idea they'd like to throw in for one, I'd love to hear them. Any and all lemons posted on my other account will not pertain to this series, so they're going to be a piece of their own one shot. :)**

 **I hope you are all having or have had a wonderful day, and I look forward to continuing this series!**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	10. CH X

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, but here's the next update! :)**

 **We have officially hit over one thousand reads, which may not seem like much for some but to me (since this series hasn't generated as much as some of my others and isn't as popular) it's something to be happy about~ So to celebrate, I'm dedicating this chapter to all of you lovelies! I know that I don't get reviews on this and hear from you all, but to my readers that have followed and favorited this, I appreciate it! :)**

 **NOTE: Since this is the arrival of the Canadian peeps, there's going to be English spoken in the first half! As I've said before, English is _italicized_ ~ :)**

 **Other note: I skimmed through this and fixed a few minor things, but I will fully edit this when I have time! ;)**

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 **\- x -**

 **An Interested Twist**

 **CH X;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

The day that the Canadian vampires were due to arrive had finally landed. As promised, Aries had been alerted by some of Krul's personal guards to retrieve her so she could go and meet with them. She hadn't even bothered to hide how ecstatic she was when she watched the side door of the cargo plane open, revealing the familiar face of Aden Maxwell.

Ferid watched Aries leap over the railing to the upper level of the shipment dock they had been standing behind and grinned, "Excited?"

"Yes!" She called up to him before running towards the staircase that had unfolded from the door opening, " _Aden!_ "

The tall male looked at her and grinned, " _Well, well, well! Hello stranger!_ "

" _How was the trip here?_ " Aries smiled brightly as she watched the others begin to walk off the plane.

" _Could've been worse, I guess,_ " He shrugged, " _Where's your mate?_ "

Aries ignored the way he spat the term out and motioned behind them, " _He promised to stay on the upper level with Queen Krul while I welcome you all to Japan._ "

" _Uh huh,_ " His brow rose, " _What about Autumn?_ "

She frowned slightly, " _Didn't Kari tell you?_ "

" _She said you were pretty vague in the way you spoke of her going on some mission, so care to give me any other details?_ " Aden's brow rose.

Aries looked at him, " _We'll talk some more about this another time. You have bigger things to worry about, like keeping up with the Japanese nobles and trying not to be a dick to the higher ups._ "

" _That's going to be difficult for him, and you know that,_ " Kari giggled as she rushed down the stairs with her arms open, slamming into the Fifth Progenitor, " _We missed youuuu!_ "

Aries giggled and hugged her back, " _I've missed you, too!_ " She looked up to see Annabelle walking down the stairs at a more casual pace, followed by the two Major Generals and the twins, " _Good to see you all._ "

" _Ma'am,_ " They all stood in front of her and bowed politely.

Aden turned to them all, " _I want you all to prepare for unloading, as well as gather the troupes so that we can meet with these stupid fuckers who can't do anything themsel—oww! What the hell, Kari?!_ "

" _I thought Aries told you not to be a dick!_ " Kari glared, " _And you promised to be respectful on the way here!_ "

The twins, Brian and Orion, both grinned and whispered to themselves while Nicholi shook his head, " _How unbecoming of a Lieutenant General._ "

Aries smiled, " _As an order from me, who will be leading you all in battle, I ask that you all speak Japanese. It would be rude if no one understood what the other was saying._ "

" _Fine,_ " Nicholi and Stephan, the two Major General's, nodded.

" _Why do we have to speak Japanese when they should be speaking English? I mean, we flew all the way here to help them so it's the least they could do,_ " Aden muttered angrily.

" _Stop being such a baby and just do it,_ " Annabelle glared.

Aries sighed, " _Guys..._ "

" _Aries!_ " June walked over with two clipboards in her arms and smiled, " _We're ready to unload all of the cargo. The troupes are all ready to meet with the Queen and receive their orders._ "

" _Good job,_ " She smiled, " _Alright, lets get you all introduced and I'll let you all ask whatever questions you need to. Well, all of you except for Aden._ "

" _Why not me?!_ "

" _You're just going to be rude,_ " Kari smiled innocently, " _So that means we have to start talking Japanese now, right?_ "

Aries nodded before turning to the spot where Krul and the other nobles stood, "Come on down and meet everyone!"

All eyes landed on the petite pinkette dressed in black that walked down the stairs to meet them with several nobles following closely behind her. Aries glanced at all of the Canadian vampires faces and had to fight the amused grin as she caught sight of Aden's sneer, his ruby eyes trained on the tall, silver haired noble that was her mate.

"Welcome to Japan. I'm Krul Tepes, Queen of the vampires and the Council," Krul grinned at all of the Canadian vampires, "My apologies for not having Autumn here to greet you, but as of right now, she's running a little errand for me."

Aden bit back a scoff and nodded, "It's alright. As long as we have Aries with us, we will not lose to the humans."

"Boldly spoken," Aden's eyes met Ferid's as the Seventh Progenitor smirked, "Pardon my lack of manners. I'm Ferid Bathory, Seventh Progenitor and Aries mate. A pleasure to meet you all."

Kari and Annabelle exchanged looks while Aden held Ferid's stare, "Likewise."

"So," Aries cut them off before Aden could cause a fuss, "Are you going to personally split them up and pair them with a noble, or are you leaving that to me?"

Krul shook her head, "Both you and I will talk and decide since you know your troupes well and I can tell you how the humans will fight, but we'll discuss that later. I assume like you'd mentioned before that they all speak fluent Japanese?"

"We do," Annabelle nodded as she stepped in front of Aden, "Colonel Annabelle Maxwell, it's a pleasure to meet you Queen Krul. I apologize for my brothers obnoxious behavior."

Krul grinned, "I was forewarned, so no hard feelings," She looked all of the Canadians over before turning to Aries and Aden, "I'll leave things up to you to get them settled. Tomorrow my nobles and your commanding officers will meet and discuss strategy."

Aries nodded and watched as she turned on her heel to leave them, smiling to herself at the fact that the Queen wasn't being overbearing even with the new faces in Japan. She also noticed that as each of the nobles turned to walk off, only four remained, aside from Ferid.

She couldn't help but grin as she caught the way Annabelle was eyeing the Fifteenth Progenitor, Lucal Wesker, who had been standing off to the side taking in all of the foreign vampires with crucial eyes. Choosing to keep the comment she so dearly wanted to make for a later date, Aries shifted and nudged the tall auburn haired woman with her knuckles.

"I should introduce you all to someone important," Aries motioned for one of the four who had remained to walk over, "Everyone, this is Autumn's mate and the one who will be leading all of the advance team in the front, Thirteenth Progenitor Crowley Eusford."

Aden eyed the tall, muscular progenitor with a careful eye before sighing, and extended his hand (albeit reluctantly), "Aden Maxwell, Autumn's right-hand man."

"Or so you like to think," Aries added in a hushed tone with a sly grin on her face, making Kari and Annabelle snicker at the way his face dropped.

Crowley grinned and accepted his hand, "A pleasure to meet you all. These are my two aides, Chess Bell and Horn Skuld."

The two nodded politely to the three standing beside Aries while both Kari and Annabelle eyed them carefully.

Aries had a feeling things were about to go south, when Kari suddenly grinned brightly and unexpectedly reached for Chess, "She's adorable!"

Annabelle deadpanned while Aden fought to keep from chuckling at her behavior, "Kari, let her go. She's a noble, so we have to treat them with respect."

Kari ignored him, for Chess didn't seem to mind at all and was returning her hug with her own tight embrace, "Lord Crowley, can we keep them with us at the mansion?"

"If Aries says that it's okay, then I suppose that wouldn't be a problem," Crowley smiled at her before turning to Aries, "Although, Ferid told me that you two were going to be hosting them at his mansion."

Ferid nodded with a grin, "That's right. I want to get to know each and every one of Aries and Autumn's comrades, so it would be difficult if one of them went among the missing."

Chess frowned, "Oh, alright."

"Tomorrow after that stupid meeting is done, we can hang out and you can show me around your territory?" Kari offered with a bright smile, to which Chess nodded happily.

Horn watched the two and smiled, wondering if Autumn would be happy that they were getting along so well.

Aries smiled at the two before turning to Crowley and giving him a pointed look, "You and I need to have a little chat at some point."

"Oh?" His grin spread, "About Autumn?"

She nodded, "Yeah," She looked at Ferid, "All three of us."

Ferid tilted his head to the side, "Why, whatever could it be, I wonder?"

" _Aries_ ," Aden tapped her on the shoulder with a frown, " _Your mate is giving me the creeps._ "

Annabelle nodded, " _I don't usually agree with my brother, but he's right._ "

" _Just give him a few days and you'll get used to him,_ " Aries smiled back at them, deciding not to tell them about Autumn's own concerns regarding the Seventh Progenitor, " _Let's go get you guys all settled in._ "

Aden nodded slowly before turning to the troupes, "Alright everyone, we'll leave the rest of the cargo on the planes and continue to unload it all tomorrow once we've gotten some rest. Stephan, Nicholi, Richard, Brian, Orion and June, you're all welcome to join us or stay with the others. As for all of you troupes, it's a shared request from both Aries and the Queen that you spend the evening in the barracks to better acquaint yourselves with the Japanese guards."

All the troupes gave an affirmative vocalization while all of the generals and upper commanders walked forward to meet with them. It was decided that Nicholi, the twins Brian and Orion, as well as Richard would remain with the troupes in the barracks while the others would follow Aries and Ferid back to his mansion.

Before Aries could follow alone with Ferid while he spoke to Aden and forced him into conversation, Crowley put his hand on her shoulder to stop her and leaned in close so he could speak to her quietly enough so the others wouldn't hear him.

"How hard would it be to convince a few of your men to follow me and go look for Autumn?"

. . .

"Man, we've been walking for hours! Can't we stop and take a break already?!" Yuu complained loudly for what seemed like the fifteenth time in less than an hour.

Autumn looked over her shoulder and flashed him a grin, "Sorry, but we just took a break not even forty-five minutes ago. Besides, we're almost there anyways, so you can make it. I have faith in you."

Yuu groaned while Mika, Shinoa and Mitsuba all shared a small chuckle.

From beside her, Shinya looked at Autumn and noticed the relaxed posture she had, "I take it that there are no enemies within a decent radius of us?"

"Nope, and there hasn't been for a while now," Autumn looked up at him and smiled, "I don't think there's anyone in Fukushima, so we should be good to camp there for a few days to let you all rest up and get your strength back."

"There are a few villages there that may allow us to stay if we offer them our protection," Shinoa added, "Although, it may take some convincing with you and Mika being there."

Mika nodded in understanding while Autumn shrugged, "If he and I prove that we're not a threat, I can't see the humans having a problem with us being around. As for feeding, Mika and I have enough blood bags to last us a while so that will take care of the worries about one of us getting too thirsty."

"May I ask you something?" Shinya eyed the Second Progenitor for a moment, only continuing when she nodded towards him, "Is there a reason for you to carry two swords?"

"My expertise is duel combat," She winked, despite feeling like she was explaining this aloud for the millionth time, "Although, I mostly fight with my left hand. I'm pretty lousy with handling a sword in my right hand, unless of course I'm using both swords. Funny, isn't it?"

Shinya chuckled, "Not at all. Perhaps we'll get to see you fight when we run into some Horsemen."

"Like I said to the kids before we left, I'm more than happy to spar with any of them when we're all settled and relaxed. However, I'll only need one weapon for them," Autumn grinned.

"So why carry two if you're confident that you won't need both of them?" Kimizuki asked, letting his eyes wander to the sheathes on her hips.

Autumn looked back at him, "I like to air of the side of caution. If we happen to run into any nobles, I won't give them the chance to get the upper hand and go at them with full force. Since I'm already technically a betrayer to the Council, it wouldn't hurt my case more by killing off a few of my kind."

"'Betrayer'?" Narumi's brow rose, "So then, you've lost your position as a vampire in their ranks?"

"If the Council knows I'm with you all protecting you, yes," Autumn nodded, "If not, then I'll be able to retain all of my authority when we get back. Krul assured me that no one would find out, but if Ferid suspects anything he could use that as leverage against her and force her to tell the Progenitor's Council."

Mika frowned, "If that happens, we could all be hunted down."

"Yep," Autumn sighed, "And with the Council's twisted way of thinking, they'd most likely send Aries with Crowley and his aides to come after us. I trained Aries so I know how she fights, but Crowley is another story."

"Do you think he would be able to defeat you?" Shinya asked, noticing the grim expression on Autumn's face.

She shook her head, "No, but I think if he and I were to really fight, he'd probably be able to hold his own even without drinking my blood. When Aries and I first arrived, I engaged him in a little play fight and I could tell that even without him trying that he was very strong. I can only imagine what his swordsmanship skills are like."

"We fought him when we were given orders to defend Shinjuku, and then when we were sent on a mission to infiltrate Nagoya," Yuu frowned, "That guy... He's insanely powerful."

Kimizuki nodded, "Not even our team and Guren's combined could hold him off. There were over a hundred of us in Nagoya and he easily took out a whole squadron of the army's men without even breaking sweat."

Autumn grinned brightly, "No offense to any of you with what I'm about to say, but I'm extremely pleased to hear all of this. After Aries and I were told about our mates, I hoped that mine wasn't a pushover. It's nice to hear that he's an extremely formidable opponent and will make for an entertaining past time when I get back."

Shinya chuckled at her while Shinoa and Mitsuba shared a knowing glance.

"So," Yoichi looked at her, "Do all vampires have mates?"

"Yes, all vampires do have mates," Autumn looked at him and smiled, "Each and everyone person, animal or other being on this planet has an other half, it's just finding that other half in your lifetime."

"Would you have had a human for a mate if you weren't a vampire?" He asked curiously.

Autumn shrugged, "Dunno, but I know that there's a possibility that there is a human out there that has the potential to be mine. It works differently for vampires than it does for humans. If our intended is a human, we just change them to set the balance."

"So that means that you could have your pick of two men?" Shinoa smiled slyly, "Well, where's the fairness in that?"

Several of them began to laugh while Autumn smiled back at the tiny girl, "It's just how it is. Although, if I hadn't of already accepted being with Crowley, I'd of probably picked Shinya."

Shinya blinked while the others suddenly went wide eyed, "Huh?!"

"Why not?" She grinned and shot the tall blond a wink, "He's handsome, easy to talk to, very loyal and has a sense of humor that I'm impatiently waiting to see in full tilt. He also has the most beautiful blue eyes that I've ever seen in my life, so that counts for something as well."

Shinoa grinned at the look on the former Major General's face, "Shinya, I don't think I've ever seen you go red in the face before."

Shinya took a moment to regain his composure and chuckled, "I'm flattered, Autumn."

"No problem," She winked, "Besides, these kids need to start considering the possibilities of having intimate relationships."

"I don't think sixteen year old's need to worry about sex at the moment," Shinya chuckled.

"They do," Autumn looked at him, "Think about it, Shinya. This world changed so drastically when the virus struck, that the chance of a normal childhood leading into their teenage years was robbed from them. They didn't get the chance to explore curiosity, nor did they really get the chance to plan out their lives and have high expectations for themselves before they really figured things out. I'm not saying all children their age would have been excited to explore intimacies, but they don't have the choice now. It's a world where they have to learn to fight, or they die."

Shinya blinked and gave what she'd said a good, long thought before smiling, "I suppose you do have a point."

"She is right," Shinoa grinned, "We were just normal kids until the virus hit. We were worried about school and boys, or what we wanted to plan for the weekend."

Autumn looked at Shinya, "See!"

"I'm glad you're so interested in the endeavors of a human teenager, Autumn," Shinya chuckled and shook his head.

"I have to be, considering back home there's over three-hundred children under the age of ten now," Autumn smiled, "They're all like my children, since I'm a vampire and can't have any myself."

"If you were human, would you have wanted to have some?" Mitsuba asked.

Autumn nodded, "Yeah, I would have wanted to have a huge family. I really enjoy being around children."

"Are there any other vampires back in Canada that like being around the kids, too?" Yuu asked curiously, his wide, emerald eyes shining.

She turned and looked at him with a grin, "Aries, of course. There's also Kari, who usually spends time with the little kids and plays with them."

"Sorry, but I can't really picture you as a mother," Kimizuki grinned slightly.

Autumn fake-scowled, "Why the hell not?!"

"Well, considering who your mate is, I can't really picture you and that freakishly strong progenitor raising children," His eyes narrowed in an almost playful manner, "It'd be like two mercenaries raising babies to become war-loving spawns of the bloodsuckers."

Autumn pretended to look offended and sighed dramatically, "Oh, Kimizuki, you wound me! Besides, Crowley would make an excellent parent. The man has the patience of a damn saint and can tolerate those who would annoy the average person. I mean, have you ever seen Chess on a good day? Not saying she's annoying _all the time_ , but she has her moments."

"You mean the little purple haired one?" Shinoa asked, to which Autumn nodded in response.

"She's a handful, but she's the cutest little vampiress I've ever seen," Autumn smiled, "Although, she no worse than a little kid, which brings me back to my opinion about Crowley having the potential to be a good parent."

Shinya grinned, "Handling one bubbly, energetic vampire isn't enough to call himself a father."

"Come on, Shinya! You're supposed to be helping me!" Autumn groaned, "I mean, you and I have already established that there would have been potential if things were different, so just play along would ya?!"

Shinoa and Mitsuba laughed while the tall blond grinned sheepishly, "Alright then, but you have to do something for me in return."

"Oh?" The Second Progenitor blinked, "Like what?"

"I'll tell you after," He winked.

"Oooouuuu!" Several voices whispered, but were silenced by Mika's narrowed eyes.

"She's with another progenitor, so all of you get your minds out of the gutter," Mika sighed, earning a grin from Autumn, "What?"

"Look at you, being the guardian to protect my virtue!"

Mika felt his cheeks heat up slightly, "Well, I wouldn't be able to look lord Crowley in the eyes if I didn't say anything."

"Oh, we're just having a bit of fun," Autumn turned to look at him, "Besides, Shinya's a little too young to tango with me."

Shinya chuckled while Mika smiled small, "I see."

Yuu watched the two and smirked, "It would be interesting if you had of picked a human to be with. Imagine the look on the other vampire's faces!"

"No kidding," Narumi chuckled, "Then again, that's probably what the others think happened with Autumn and Mika."

Autumn stopped dead in her tracks to look at Narumi, "Does you joining our conversation and actually joking around with us mean I finally have your trust?"

"Well..." Narumi watched the teasing smirk stretch her lips and frowned slightly, "I'm still skeptical, but I guess you and Mika are alright. You haven't given us any real reason not to trust you."

"Good," She said happily, "About damn time, too! Even Kimizuki buckled before you did!"

Kimizuki motioned to Narumi, "I may have dropped the distrust, but I'm still not going to believe you one-hundred percent."

"I didn't imagine either of you would," Autumn said honestly, "Anyways, setting all of that aside now that we're all friends, we've finally arrived to the check point! Feel free to set up camp and relax while I go and patrol the area to make sure things are all good."

All of the ex-Moon Demon Army soldiers looked around and blinked. None of them had noticed where they were once they all got talking, so it surprised them to see that Autumn was right and that they were finally in Fukushima. It was at that moment that they realized just how long they'd been traveling.

"Wait up," Shinya walked over to Autumn after discarding his bag with the others when they'd begun to set up the camp, "I'll come with you."

Autumn looked at him and grinned, "You know, I'm flattered that you want to hold my hand and make sure I don't get into trouble, but it's not necessary. I'm a big girl."

"Damn, and here I thought I was being a gentleman," Shinya chuckled with a slight grin, "In all seriousness though, I'd like to come with you."

She gave him a thoughtful look for a moment, "Sure. Mika is there so I think they'll be alright if anything gets close to them."

Motioning for him to follow, Autumn turned and began to walk away from the group with Shinya in toe. They reached the path that the entire group had just come from and veered off to start patrolling the perimeter that the progenitor wanted around them. She explained to the human teenagers at some point during their journey that if another vampire caught her scent but didn't recognize it, they would instantly be deterred since all lower ranking vampires could distinguish nobles from the others. She also wanted to air on the more cautious side and give them all a wider birth than needed, making sure that her and Mika would be able to detect any enemies within a wider span instead of remaining in close-quarters.

"So, what is it that you wanted to ask me when we were alone?" Autumn asked after several minutes of comfortable silence.

Shinya looked at her and smiled, "It wasn't anything bad, I promise. I just wanted to get them all riled up is all."

"You're a naughty one, aren't you?" Autumn grinned.

"I try," He chuckled, "There is one thing I've been meaning to ask."

"Well, ask away~"

Shinya smiled, "I was just curious to know the significance of your swords is all. I get that you're a duel wielder, but those don't look like ordinary scabbards."

"Perceptive, aren't you? They're not straight-cut swords like most would use, but a rather vague description of them is that they're both shaped like a jagged fang with an upward tip," She grinned at him once again before sighing, "Hmm, where to begin... First off, I should tell you that I have the capabilities of using cursed gear, albeit for a limited amount of time."

"Oh?" Shinya looked at her with a somewhat surprised expression, "Why is that?"

"Long story short, I came dangerously close to becoming a demon myself, so I figure that's why I can handle it," She continued walking forward and smiled, "As for the two swords, like I said earlier I'm really shitty handling a blade with my right hand if I'm not using both weapons, so I mainly just use my left. I probably screwed myself over by favoring one side, but it is what it is."

Shinya smiled, "Nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know," She giggled, "Although it looks rather funny to some opponents when I whip out my sword in what they feel in the wrong hand, so I suppose seeing the expressions on other people's faces is worth it."

"Going back to your swords, are they regular blades or are they actually cursed?" Shinya eyed her, watching a look of surprise flicker over her face.

Autumn smirked, "My, my, so you figured it out without even looking at them," Shinya chuckled and winked before she continued, "Yes, they're cursed. There are two demons, being one per sword. The three of us have been companions for a very long time, so there's a mutual understanding. I also wear special gloves to help keep the balance of power in check, that way I can't become possessed or killed by my own weapon just by touching it."

"Damn," Shinya blinked, "Are you the only one who can handle cursed gear?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm not. Apparently the First Progenitor and a few others that followed their footsteps could handle cursed weapons, but like me it was only for a certain amount of time. Not many vampires have the power to control a demon, even though they were once vampires themselves."

Shinya nodded, "The Moon Demon Army actually has a facility for creating cursed gear."

"Oh, I'm aware of that," Autumn sighed, "Actually, I think a former vampire I never met but knew of is one of the demons used in their experiments."

This surprised him, "One of your own vampires?"

Autumn shook her head, "No not one of mine, but one of the vampire Queens. I won't say who it is because I'd have to see him with my own eyes to believe it, but all I know is that he would have made an extremely powerful demon."

"How do you know all of this?" Shinya's brow rose.

"I'm extremely good at hacking," Autumn smirked, "Self taught and very proud of my skills. I can find anything if I have a couple of computers at my disposal."

Shinya chuckled at her and sighed, "I should have known."

"You guys knew about me, didn't you?" She stopped walking and looked at him, "I overheard you speaking to Narumi about you and your comrades that were left behind doing some research on me. Knowing that there's not much to go by, I'm just curious to know what it is you found."

Shinya smiled, "Well, like I said to Narumi, there wasn't much to go by. When you told us all about how you treat your humans in Canada, that's what Goshi and I had found. There were no personal documents or anything pertaining to where you were originally from or even that you were a high-ranking progenitor. We knew you were a noble, but not the Second Progenitor. Only after we found a missing piece to another document did we discover your rank."

"I remained invisible for almost my entire life, so that doesn't surprise me," Autumn shrugged and motioned for him to follow as they continued their search around the perimeter, "I'm actually a little surprised that there was anything on me to begin with. Did you find anything on any of my other vampires?"

"Well, we have a little information on Aries Marlo, but it's nothing different than what came up for you other than the fact that she is the Fifth Progenitor," Shinya followed closely with Byakkomaru in his hands, "Are you two really the only nobles in Canada?"

Autumn shrugged her shoulders again, "Probably not. According to my darling Crowley, when a progenitor turns a human they almost always claim noble status. If that's true, then there's more than ten nobles in Canada, not including Aries or myself. Seventeen, to be exact."

"You didn't know that?" He chuckled and flashed her a teasing grin, "Even I knew that."

"Yeah, yeah!" She huffed and waved him off, "You forget that in Canada, we were segregated from the other nobles and the Progenitor Council. I didn't want anything to do with the other vampires because from what I've seen throughout my hundreds of years, they're all in a war against one another for more territory. I didn't want to put my humans or my vampires in danger if one of the other progenitors decided to challenge me."

Shinya watched her and smiled, "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were against your own kind."

"Well, I won't lie and say that I don't feel ashamed of being a vampire at times," Autumn revealed with a sad smile, "All of the years I've been alive have been a real eye-opener. I've spent my fair share of years playing both sides, being that it took me a long time to appreciate human life when I'd found Aries and was pulling myself up from a very dark place. I could have easily been like one of the nobles here with no regards to their humans and chose to hunt you all down rather than help you all."

Reaching out, Shinya placed a hand on her shoulder gently and caught her eyes when she turned to face him, "We all know that, but we're grateful to you for your help. Really, we are. It would have been near impossible even with Mika's help if you weren't with us."

"Don't give me all the credit, Shinya," Autumn smiled at him, "You're all very unique humans that have so much potential. I don't think I've ever seen such a tight-knit group even with all of my own, so I will do anything to make sure nothing breaks that bond. Mika is no exception."

"You said you wanted to bring us back to Canada with you," Shinya grinned slightly, "Could it be that we've all grown on you?"

"Pretty much," She winked at him, "That, and I can protect you all from the other nobles and the humans when this war is over."

"Did you ever consider going back to fight with them?" Shinya suddenly asked.

Autumn looked at him for a moment before inhaling a deep breath, "Yes, I did. I wanted to be there to greet my family when they arrived and introduce them Crowley and his two aides... More than that, I wanted to be there to fight at the front lines so Aries wouldn't have to lead them and fight in my place."

"You could still go?" He offered with a small smile, "I'm sure Mika and the others would understand."

Autumn shook her head and put on the best smile she could at that moment, "Nah, you guys are stuck with me until the coast is clear."

"Stuck with you? What makes you think we'd just sit back and relax here," He suddenly grinned, "We'd go back with you and help you fight."

The progenitor came to an abrupt halt as she whipped around to look at him, "You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am," Shinya said innocently, "It may take some convincing as far as Mika goes, but I'm sure if we put the bug in Yuu's ear, he would be more than happy to oblige. Besides, with you and Mika with all of us backing you up, we'll make a super team."

Autumn considered his words for a moment before slowly grinning, "I'll think about it."

"What about your orders from the vampire Queen?" Shinya's grin grew wider.

"Well," The girl in front of him smirked as she looked off to the side, "I never did think of her as _my_ Queen, anyways."

. . .

Kureto sat in his office as he looked through the recent papers from the seraph experiments while Aoi stood off to the side and waited patiently for him to finish. His eyes scanned over the words quickly and the smirk on his lips grew wider and wider.

"Good. She will be ready for when we attack the underground city," Kureto tossed the papers onto his desk before standing up, "What news of Shinya and his group of misfits that escaped our territory? Do we know who is their current party?"

Aoi watched him but maintained the neutral expression on her face, "All of those who were listed under Guren's squad, being Shinoa Hiragi, Mitsuba Sangu, Yoichi Saotame, Kimizuki Shiho and Yuichiro Hyakuya. Narumi Makoto is also missing, sir."

Kureto chuckled to himself, "Poor, misguided souls. It's such a pity that your little sister and my own flesh and blood will be unnecessarily sacrificed."

"It will be for the greater good, sir," Aoi said, watching as he rounded the desk towards the window.

"Exactly," Kureto nodded, "Although, I don't exactly enjoy the idea of a few Black Demon kids getting out from under my grasp."

Both looked over as the door opened abruptly to reveal Guren, who sauntered in with his hands in his pockets and a lazy grin on his face.

"Did she tell you about the little problem we've got?" Guren sat down on the sofa to the right of the room and looked at Kureto, "Our watchers found out who was on those cargo planes that flew into Kyoto."

"Who was it?" Kureto turned to him with narrowed eyes.

Guren looked at him, "Apparently the vampires had reinforcements inbound, because the planes that landed were full of them. The closest our troupes could get to their territory and still remain in the safe zone was just outside of the city where the outside loading docks are. That's where they saw what looked like over one-hundred vampires and heavy weaponry being offloaded."

Kureto's eyes narrowed and his lips pulled into a thin line, "Is that so? Well, try as they may, we have a seraph that is prepared for battle. We will not lose this time."

"You may want to reconsider your strategy," Guren smirked as he pulled out a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket, "They also discovered something very interesting while they were gathering intelligence."

Aoi walked over and took the paper from Guren before handing it to Kureto, who quickly unfolded it and scanned its contents with his eyes narrowing even more.

"So they've got several nobles with them," Kureto said in an almost ignorant way, "What's your worry?"

"A few weeks ago a helicopter coming from Canada arrived and landed just outside of the vampire city, Sanguinem," Guren stood up and pocketed his hands, "Apparently there were two progenitors that were in the vehicle, and we believe one of them to be the Second Progenitor, Autumn Winters. Imagine if we could get our hands on one of those blood-sucking bastards as old as her to experiment on."

Aoi looked at Kureto, who had a pleased look on his face as he listened to Guren's words, "Hmm, you're right. It would make for an extremely profitable strain of experiments if we could get our hands on her. What of the other progenitor?"

"She's been identified as the Fifth Progenitor Aries Marlo, who is rumored to have been turned by the Second Progenitor herself," Guren walked towards the door, "One could only imagine how powerful a Black Demon weapon would be with one of those two."

"Is there any information available at this time in regards to any of the other Canadian nobles?" Aoi asked with her brow raising, not entirely enjoying Guren's leisurely posture slouched forward as he walked that was very unfitting to his rank.

Guren shrugged, "Not that I could find. One of the researchers and myself tried to find anything we could on either one of them, but the most we could gather was their titles and rank, and also that they're the only two listed as nobles. Another thing we found out is that they're uncharacteristically kind to humans, but that could have been false information."

Kureto watched Guren and nodded, "I see you're finally making yourself useful, Guren. I'll be sure to properly thank you with a well-deserved rank once this war is said and done."

"How thoughtful," Guren said in an amused tone before walking out of the office.

Aoi watched Guren leave before turning to Kureto, noticing he was looking at the paper that had been handed to him once again, "Sir, would you like me to update our men with the new mission?"

"That won't be necessary. I have a feeling that we will see those two nobles at some point, so there's no need to rush into trying to capture one," He explained, "Our goal will not only be the destruction of their Capitol, but to also capture not only those two female progenitors, but the others as well."

"Understood, sir," Aoi nodded and bowed slightly before pivoting on her heel and walking to the door.

Kureto watched her before returning to the window and grinned to himself, piecing together how things were sure to go once they finally attacked the vampires. They would invade Sanguinem and flush the immortal resistance from their hole and once they were exposed, they would unleash the seraph and completely annihilate the resistance.

"We're so close to victory, I can almost taste it."

* * *

 **I probably don't do "The Brows" any justice, but I find it's hard to type a character when you don't really like them in the series to begin with. Although don't get me wrong, I think Kureto's position as an antagonist is well-suited. I can't picture him as one of the good guys, even if he were to miraculously become one.**

 **As for Guren, I know we only saw a snippet of him in this one, but I have plans for him. I haven't decided what his fate will be (no, I'm NOT killing him off), but we'll see once we get to the real action scenes. And yes, the action will be happening very shortly.**

 **In regards to Autumn's group, what do you guys think will happen? With Shinya's suggestion floating in her mind right now alongside the extremely tempting thoughts of going back to Aries and Crowley, do you guys think she'll be up for actually disobeying Krul and suddenly appear on the battlefield? What of Mika? We know Mika's number one objective is to protect Yuu at all costs, but with Yuu's "hero" personality and the fact Guren will be there, will he be able to stop his friend from choosing to go straight into the fire? Important questions! :)**

 **There is also the tidbit I put in here about Autumn's weapons being cursed. Now, I kinda rolled the dice with this one but because we've already learned that she can handle cursed gear for a short period of time, I decided to go with this path and see where it would lead to. As she said while explaining to Shinya, she wears special gloves to help keep her in control and make it as though she's wielding regular swords, so just bear with me on that one and go with it... Kay? :D**

 **Also, before I post the next chapter, I'll be doing a bit of a sweep through all of the chapters to make any changes or fix things up. I noticed I've misspelled names a few times and that pieces I may have overlooked when I was editing before posting have come up, so I'll be changing things around a bit. Nothing major, just a bit of editing and clean-up. ;)**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	11. CH XI

**Hello all, and welcome to another addition of An Interesting Twist~**

 **I know I'm pretty late on this fact, but I have to say I'm pretty damn excited right now in regards to the manga. One of the tumblr users I follow is apparently finished school and is popping the translated chapters out faster now, so hopefully the raws for the next chapter come out soon. Crowley's leg is currently being held hostage by Mitsuba while Yoichi goes super hero mode on everyone, but Ferid is still MIA and still driving his stylish car at the moment.**

 **There is also the fact that SHINYA IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL. AHHHHHH~**

 **... Okay now, onto to the chapter!**

 **NOTE: Some English in this chapter, and as we all know, it's in italics~ :)**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH XI;;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

Two days had passed since the Canadian vampires had arrived in Japan, and things were finally starting to fall into place in preparation for the battle. Krul had situated herself in the middle of the foreign ranks as the primary leader of the assault, being that the only set of troupes she had absolutely no say over were Aries main advance teams. There was also the issue that was brought up from Ferid when his mate would talk about joining Crowley at the very front, leaving him with a displeased look on his face whenever she brushed him off and ignored his words of protest.

As for the lineup, Aden would be second to Crowley and be following the Thirteenth Progenitor's orders during the main half of the war. Knowing things would be flowing a little differently, Aries had offered to lead in Crowley's place should he be _detained_ for whatever reason, assuring Krul that she would be more than capable of protecting her men.

Krul had offered to have several of her own progenitors lead a few of Aries higher ranking soldiers, and with words back and forth, it had been decided who would follow who.

Lucal Wesker was to lead Stephan with a quarter of the Canadian troupes, along with a handful of Krul's soldiers.

Mel Stephano and Zane Lindau would have Richard and Annabelle with them, leading a larger group of troupes as backup to the main team at the front lines.

Finally, those who would offer relief to the injured or if the numbers were to fall, Kari and June would be leading a team along with Crowley's aides, Chess and Horn. The two weren't exactly thrilled to be partnered with someone other than their lord, but Krul silenced them with a narrow-eyed look.

"I'm assuming that you'll want to stay with Aries, so I will give you permission to stay by your mates side," Krul turned to Ferid, "Don't make me regret my choices and interfere when she dictates her orders, am I understood?"

Ferid bowed theatrically with a tight grin, "But, of course! I will follow orders when needed~"

"We will attack in three days, so prepare any strategy you see fit and be ready to leave," Krul said to everyone before she stood up and walked to the door.

Many of the others followed her example and stood up, exiting the room themselves. Aries turned to those who were under her and smiled, motioning for them to follow their commanders before turning to Ferid and Crowley.

"Ferid, I'll meet you back at the mansion shortly. I'm going to talk to Aden for a few moments," She smiled at him before looking to the tall red head, " _We need to discuss something regarding the twins._ "

" _Oh?_ " Aden's brow rose, but he nodded nonetheless.

Ferid watched the exchange and smiled charmingly, "Of course, Aries. Take your time," He looked up at Crowley, "Would accompany me in the meantime? I've been meaning to catch up with you."

Crowley nodded and blinked, not entirely sure what the Seventh Progenitor was going to say to him, but he followed the eccentric vampire either way.

" _So, what's up?_ " Aden turned to Aries once the two progenitors were out of earshot.

Aries watched the door for a moment before looking up at Aden, " _What I'm about to tell you stays between us until the time is right, but he's going to take the twins and find Autumn._ "

" _You mean the Thirteenth Progenitor, right?_ " Aden's brow rose, to which Aries nodded, " _I figured that's who you meant._ "

" _I didn't want to say his name out loud in case anyone was listening,_ " Aries crossed her arms under her bust and sighed softly, " _I need you to tell Brian and Orion that they are to meet him at Nagoya City Hall later on this evening. Once they're all together, I need you to help distract all of the others in case they need help to escape the city._ "

A small chuckle escaped Aden's lips, " _Those Williams twins are even sneakier than Autumn at times, so I doubt they'll need the help. That big guy doesn't look like he'd need it, either._ "

" _I know, but I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong. I want Autumn to be here in case shit hits the fan, because we both know she's in a league of her own when it comes to combat, as is her mate apparently,_ " The shorter blond frowned slightly, " _You probably understand why I want her here._ "

Aden understood all too well, " _I know,_ " He frowned, reaching for her to put his hand on her shoulder gently, " _If you're uncomfortable with this, you can always give me the reins and I'll take full command with Autumn's mate._ "

" _I promised Krul, so now I can't back down or else she'll figure out that I gave him the resources to find her. She already promised to send him after her once the war was over, but I don't trust her and I know Autumn doesn't either,_ " Aries looked up at him, knowing Krul would be furious to find out why Crowley would not be present until Autumn and those humans were found, " _Besides, if I know Autumn as well as I think I do, she'll probably bring those humans she's been sent to protect along with her. Hell, she'll probably try to bring them home with us when we leave._ "

Aden suddenly grinned, " _Think we could convince them to help our cause, then? I mean, since they defected from the army, I'm sure they won't be opposed to helping us kill the enemies._ "

" _Oh, probably,_ " Aries finally cracked a grin, " _Either way, let's get started with the plan. I'll be staying in the mansion with Ferid this evening and cover for you being absent, so just make sure to get Brian and Orion to Crowley as soon as possible."_

. . .

"It seems like something's on your mind."

Autumn turned to look over her shoulder, seeing Yuu walking towards her with his hands in his sweater pocket. She smiled at him and pat the spot beside her, watching as he quickly closed the distance and sat down beside her.

"Do I seem distracted?" Autumn mused, turning her attention back out to the large expanse of trees in front of her.

Yuu watched her and nodded, "Are you thinking about that noble?"

"I won't lie and say that he hasn't crossed my mind several times since we've started this trip, but no, he's actually not what I'm thinking about right now," Autumn said softly, debating on whether to mention what Shinya and her had discussed a few hours ago.

"Oh, why's that?" He gave her a curious look, "I figured since he was your mate and all, that you'd be thinking about him a lot."

Autumn grinned at him, "We vampires may obsess about things, but it's hard to think about him when I have to keep on my toes and protect all of you."

"So then, what's on your mind?"

The grin slowly faded from her face as she sighed, reaching up to run her fingers through her dark fringe, "Don't take this the wrong way Yuu, but I don't know whether you're the best person to talk to about this. I feel like this is something everyone should hear instead of me telling you all individually."

"That bad?" Yuu's brows furrowed.

She shrugged, "Maybe. I haven't decided yet if it is or it isn't, although I know someone in particular is going to shit himself when I bring this up."

"Is that what took you and Shinya so long?" Yuu watched her, "Were you two talking about whatever it is that's bothering you?"

Autumn looked at him and nodded before she pushed herself up, "Well, best not to keep beating around the bush. Let's go gather everyone and have a family discussion."

Yuu grinned at her as he stood up, "You just called us family."

"I did," She winked, "Besides, you and all of the others know that I want you to come home with me when I return to Canada."

The emerald eyed boy chuckled and nodded, following Autumn as they made their way back to the camp. When they got there, everyone aside from Shinya was present.

"Where's Shinya?" Yuu asked.

Shinoa grinned slightly in Autumn's direction, "Autumn's _secret human lover_ is currently scouting the area for more wood, but he should be back soon. He said that he and Autumn had to tell us something."

"Aw, Shinoa... If Shinya and I got married, you'd really be my family," Autumn grinned back and winked, "Although, I'm fairly positive that Crowley wouldn't like another man touching what's his. As much as I adore Shinya and those bright blues he's got, we've already discussed him being too young for me, remember?"

"Understandable, but still such a shame~" Shinoa sighed dramatically as she waved her hand while Mitsuba grinned.

Mika watched as Autumn sat down and then noticed the expression Yuu's face, "So, what is it you wanted to talk to us about?"

"Well, since Shinya was the one who brought it up, I guess we should wait for him," Autumn leaned back on her hands, "Although, you're not going to like it one bit, Mika."

Yuu recalled her words just moment ago and sat beside his surrogate brother, "If we make a guess, will you tell us?"

"No need for that," Shinya's voice suddenly echoed as he walked through the trees with a few large pieces of wood tucked under his arm, "Go ahead, Autumn."

She looked at him with a droll stare for a moment before sighing, "Fineee. You just don't want to look like the bad guy," She caught the innocent look that just flashed through his eyes before turning to address all of the others, "I want you all to hear what I have to say before you all fly off the handle at me and just understand that I won't let anything happen to you."

Both Narumi and Kimizuki narrowed their eyes slightly while Yoichi, Shinoa and Mitsuba watched her closely with curious eyes.

As she suspected, Mika's ruby eyes narrowed at her as if he knew where this was going.

"After Shinya and I talked, we've both decided that we want to go back and fight," Autumn said bluntly, "It would be a lot easier if you all came along to fight with us, as well."

Mika openly glared at her, "Are you insane?! We can't go there! We'd fall right into the middle of that war with the humans, and then what? I won't let you put any of these humans in danger."

 _Meaning he won't let me put his precious_ _Yuu_ _in danger..._ Autumn sighed deeply before turning to look at the angry blond, "Calm down, Mika. Trust me when I say that my vampires will help protect us."

"We would also have a great opportunity to join up with Goshi and the girls," Shinya walked over and sat down beside Autumn, "They would be able to help our efforts to getting Guren back."

Yuu looked at Shinya and nodded while Narumi stood up, "Shinya, do you hear yourself? We had to sneak out of the city and would have gotten caught if Autumn hadn't of made a deal with that damn noble, and you want us to go back?"

"Narumi, please calm down," Shinya frowned, "We have to look at this rationally. In order for us to go and rescue Guren, we will have to of return to the city eventually. With Autumn and Mika, we will have an extremely large advantage."

"There's also the odd possibility that Aries will send a couple of our vampires to track me down, so we will have even more power to help us out. If she does, I know exactly who would be an asset to retrieving this Guren fellow you all want to protect," Autumn said as she looked at Narumi, "I can more than happily assure you that my guys won't be a threat to any of you."

He frowned and slowly sat down, "Our mission was to get out of the city," He repeated, locking eyes with the Second Progenitor, "I'm sure you and Mika were given orders as well, so why would you disobey your leader and go back?"

"Queen or not, Krul Tepes is not my leader," Autumn said in a flat tone, "I only accepted this assignment because I knew it would put Mika's mind at ease to be with a vampire who liked to be around humans, but that was before I met you all. I want to protect each and every one of you, but I also want to go and fight with my immortal family. Aries isn't a fighter, so she's probably beginning to panic at this point and Aden can only do so much with Krul and Ferid hovering over her."

"How do we know that your mate and hers won't try to capture us?" Kimizuki's eyes met Autumn's, "Yuu and Mika aren't on good terms with that creepy noble and your mate doesn't exactly scream humanitarian, either."

Autumn gave him a small smile, "Putting my feelings aside, I wouldn't let either of them lay a finger on you. There's also the fact that once this mission was over, it was agreed upon that I was to hand you off to Krul to remain under her protection. Either way, you were all headed back to the vampire city anyways, so at least this way you won't leave my sight until this is all said and done."

Mika bit his bottom lip in frustration while Shinoa, Mitsuba, Yoichi and Yuu all looked at one another.

"It's a lot to think about, but the only way we'll be able to get to Guren without going back to the Demon Army's territory is to go and join the vampires in the war," Shinya looked at each and every one of the kids, "I don't particularly enjoy the idea of fighting along side the enemy, but it seems like a better option than being captured and given an unfair trail as war criminals since we know that's exactly what Kureto will do to us all."

Shinoa stared at Autumn for a moment before finally speaking, "You're sure that we'd have plenty of cover?"

"Yes. I can guarantee that you all would be protected to the best of my own abilities, and the abilities of my troupes," Autumn looked at her and gave her a sincere smile, "I called you all my family when Yuu came over to talk to me, and I meant it."

They all gave her a thoughtful look before sharing a look with one another. It was after a few moments of silence that Shinoa spoke again.

"We're going to have to talk more about this amongst ourselves, but we won't take long to give you a reply," Shinoa stood up and smiled.

Autumn nodded and sighed softly, "I know. It was a lot to think about all at once, so please, take your time."

As they all stood and walked towards the trees, Shinya turned to Autumn and gave her a reassuring smile, "I think they'll understand and want to do this as much as we do."

"They're giving it thought, which tells me they have more trust in my abilities than they're willing to let on," Autumn sighed and sat back against her hands, "As for the Seventh Progenitor, they don't have to worry about him. I'll rip his head off and shove it up his ass if he tries to touch any of them."

Shinya chuckled, "You don't like this man?"

"No, not at all," Autumn shook her head and looked at him, "He may be Aries mate, but there's something sneaky about him that just sets off all the red flags for me. I promised her that I would try to get along with him, and believe me when I say it's difficult whenever the situation comes up."

"Will he be returning to Canada when you and your mate leave?" Shinya looked at her.

Autumn sighed and ran her fingers through her dark locks, "Unfortunately he will be, but because Crowley and myself will out-rank him, he won't have control over anything. Aries will still be my second, even if that bastard will be at par with her rank."

"Would it be too time consuming to ask for an explanation on the ranking system you all use?"

"Oh yeah," She grinned, "I'd need all all day and then some to explain it all. However, what I can tell you even after I've kind of brushed the surface of it, is when a mate becomes one with their own the lower of the two rises to the same status as their counterpart. In my case, Crowley will rise from being the Thirteenth Progenitor to being a Second Progenitor. As for Ferid, he'll become a Fifth Progenitor. Blood ties aside, the ranks themselves are a bit of a headache to think about."

Shinya took a moment to run through what she'd just told him and nodded, "I see. Well, at least you're still above that noble that no one here enjoys speaking of."

"Yes, and I'll make sure that he doesn't put one foot wrong when he's in my country," Autumn crossed her arms under her bust, "Well, enough about me! Lets talk about you. Do you have anyone special waiting for you after this war is said and done?"

. . .

After several minutes of arguing back and forth, it was obvious that Mika and Narumi were completely against going back to the war zone. It may not originally have been for the same reasons, but eventually the two agreed on one simple fact, that keeping Yuu safe was a number one priority. The two had an uphill battle to pan out, considering all of their comrades wished to go back.

"Guys, just listen to me!" Yuu growled, finally getting to his boiling point as Mika or Narumi would cut him off, "We need to go back for Guren and Kimizuki's sister anyways, and now we have someone who could really help us!"

Narumi glared, "I don't care how powerful she is, Yuu! What if she's leading us into a trap? Have you already forgotten that she's supposed to hand us all over to the vampires after this? How does that little fact not bother you?!"

"She said she wants to bring us all back to Canada with her, and I believe her," Shinoa stepped forward to match Narumi's critical eye, "You know Shinya is a very good judge of character, and he believes her too. He was also the one who originally through of this idea, so don't take this all out on her."

In a desperate attempt to try and gain the upper hand, Narumi growled and shot his hand out to the side for emphasis, "Can she even fight? We have yet to see her actually raise a hand, so how the hell can I trust her to have my back when we land in the middle of a damn battle?"

"I can vouch for her," Mika said in an almost reluctant way, "She's extremely powerful and fast. She disarmed me without me even realizing it."

"See!" Yuu pointed to Mika, "Come on Narumi! What more do we need to tell you for you to see that this is a good idea?!"

"Calm down, Yuu," Mitsuba sighed, "We can't get upset at one another if we hope to come to an understanding."

Yoichi nodded, "She's right. We need to think about this rationally from both perspectives."

"I'm sorry to say this, but whatever you guys decide is on you," Kimizuki crossed his arms and looked each one of his comrades in the face, "If she's going back and is offering to help us, I'm going with her. I already told you before that I will do anything to get my sister back, even if that means leaving you guys behind."

Shinoa looked at him and offered him a smile, "You don't have to worry about that. We're family, and we will help you."

"Oh yes," Narumi narrowed his eyes, "By rushing back into enemy territory and getting ourselves killed, or worse, captured and then tried as war criminals or end up as livestock."

Yuu whipped around to face Narumi and glared, "Alright Narumi, what the hell is your problem?! You were all for-go when we mentioned going back to get Guren, and now you're against this whole thing?"

"I only agreed to come with you because you would have been used as an experiment to be used against the vampires," Narumi stared Yuu down with a harsh gaze, "I defected from the army in order to one day avenge my fallen comrades and find a way to kill that bastard Kureto for what he's done. I didn't sign up to follow a _vampire_ back into the middle of what we escaped from."

Yuu was about to argue back when the hand Yoichi placed on his shoulder stopped him, "I get your point, and I think it's safe to say that we all do... But Narumi, we have to go back and get Guren. He's our family, as well as his teammates."

"He's right," Shinoa nodded, "Lets not forget Autumn's family and the protection we'll have once we're there. You even said it yourself that she wasn't suspicious–"

"I know what I said," Narumi cut her off with an aggravated sigh, pausing only momentarily to collect his thoughts, "You all realize what we're going to be walking into and what's going to happen, right?"

Yuu cracked a grin while Shinoa and Mitsuba both nodded, "We know, but it's a risk we'll have to take in order for everyone to be with their family."

"We're also going to have Autumn's mate and his two comrades helping us," Yoichi said, "So we're going to have some pretty powerful allies."

Kimizuki looked at Narumi, "It took me a while to warm up to her, but I think we can trust her to protect us from the army and help us get Guren back. At least with her army and with Mika's help, we've got a good shot at all of this."

Narumi regarded Kimizuki silently before nodding, albeit reluctantly.

Meanwhile, Mika stood there silently and listened to everyone's opinions and their point of view on the matter. He hadn't been expecting Autumn and Shinya to conspire on ways to get the group back to Kyoto when the war between the vampires and humans was so close to beginning. He also hadn't expected so many of Yuu's comrades to agree with the two on going back, when his primary objective was to keep Yuu as far away from the battle as possible.

He would have been lying had he not admitted he was a little disappointed in Autumn for wanting to put all of the humans at risk, but it seemed that with Narumi now agreeing to go back, he was left without a choice. Yuu already made up his mind, and deep down Mika knew that it would be impossible for him to change the emerald-eyed boy's mind now.

"Alright," Mika sighed heavily and looked at everyone, "We'll go back then."

Shinoa nodded with a smile while Yuu reached out to ruffle Mika's hair, "Cheer up! I mean, you've fought against Autumn and know what she's capable of, and we all know our own abilities well enough to know that we all stand a chance if we stick together."

"You're right," Mika gave in, smiling small at Yuu's enthusiasm despite the fact that he was still unimpressed that neither him or Narumi could sway their comrades decisions.

"Lets go back and tell them what we've decided," Shinoa motioned for everyone to follow.

Everyone turned to follow behind her when Narumi cleared his throat, "Wait, there's just one more thing I want to talk about before we go."

. . .

"Ah, they're back," Shinya looked over as everyone approached and smiled, "You all seem pretty confident."

Shinoa looked at him and smiled before looking to Autumn, "We've all decided to go with you, but we have some conditions that we'd like to be met first."

"Polite but diplomatic," Autumn leaned forward onto her knees and propped her head on one of her hands, "Have at it."

Narumi was the one to step up and continue the conversation, "We all know that you've offered to escort us back and help us fight in order to get Guren back, but we want to know how it is you plan on freeing him from his demon."

Autumn frowned slightly, "That's something I don't want to talk about right now, as I know for a fact not all of you will like what I'll be suggesting."

"We're not letting you turn him into a bloodsucker."

"I never said I was going to turn him into a vampire," Autumn shot back, "What else did you all have in mind?"

Shinoa stopped Narumi from going into an argument with the progenitor and looked at her, "We want to stay here for a couple more days in order to come up with some sort of strategy. I know my brother well and he fights dirty, so we're going to need to be prepared for him."

"Shinya was just telling me about him, so I don't think that's a bad idea," Autumn smiled at her, "Don't worry though, my guys will know how to deal with him."

"Have you given thought to them trying to capture any of your nobles?" Mika asked, "Shinoa said that they've captured vampires before to turn them into cursed weapons."

Autumn looked at him with a sudden serious expression as she straightened up, "Shinya also told me about that but I was already well aware of that fact. We also tossed the idea back and forth of there being a possibility that Aries or myself could be potential targets alongside the Japanese nobles. We have to go about this carefully and remain as a group if we're going to take these people head-on."

"There's also a chance that they'll try to capture you too, Mika," Shinya looked at him, "They know that Yuu is a seraph and that you are close to him, so Kureto may try to have you captured in order to lure Yuu in close enough that they can trap him."

"If that happens, we'll have to make a split second decision," Autumn looked at Yuu, "You'll either need to let your demon take full control, or you'll have to blow the trumpet and transform into a seraph."

Yuu frowned at that, "But I can't control what happens when I turn into that."

"Do you have a decent partnership with your demon?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Then let him or her take control and revert your transformation," Autumn smiled small, "It'll take you one step closer to turning into a demon yourself, but unfortunately there's not many other options. No progenitor alive is strong enough to battle a seraph, so myself and the others are quite useless in that situation."

Shinoa looked at Yuu, "It's happened before, and that's how he was able to turn back into a human."

"Yeah, you guys filled me in on what happened after I woke up," Yuu frowned.

"We won't worry about that until the time comes," Autumn said softly as she stood up, "If all goes according to plan, we won't have to ask that of you. Besides, Shinya was telling me about the weapons each and every one of you has, so we should be fine. I don't have any worries."

Narumi frowned, "You're pretty confident about this when there's a strong possibility that we could all be captured or killed."

"That's not going to happen," Autumn looked at him before grinning, "I won't let any of you die."

. . .

Chess fluttered down the hall at rapid speeds upon Brian and Orion's arrival to Nagoya City Hall. She had been informed that they would be the two that would join Crowley on the mission to retrieve Autumn, and took it upon herself to announce their arrival to her lord as she burst through the double doors to his office.

"Lord Crowley!" Chess bounded over to his desk and grinned, "They've arrived."

Crowley turned around to look at her and smiled, "Thank you, Chess," Just as he stood up from his seat, he noticed the twins walk through the doors and offered them a friendly grin, "A pleasure to finally meet you both. Aries told me a little bit about you both, although I doubt the introductions are necessary at this moment in time."

"No, not entirely," Orion chuckled as he propped both hands on his hips, "Aden told us that we need to leave immediately, so we should get going. Since you know Japan's geography better than we do, we'll let you lead."

Crowley nodded and walked around the desk to meet them, "Chess and Horn, I want you two to put on that prize-winning show I asked of you for when I'm gone."

"Yes my lord," Horn watched him, "How long will you be gone?"

"Aries told me that Autumn probably took the humans and ran as far away as she could, and the only territory I can think of right now that has little to no vampires in it is Fukushima," Crowley looked at her and smiled, "Don't worry, we won't be gone long."

She nodded slowly while Chess frowned, "It's not fair that we can't go with you. I want to see Autumn, too!"

"She'll be home before you know it," Crowley chuckled and grinned.

Brian watched the three and frowned, " _This is getting ridiculous. I mean, is Autumn's mate always this happy? The bastard never stops smiling!_ "

" _Be polite, Brian,_ " Orion glared, " _Can't you tell by the scent of his blood that he's a lot more powerful than we're aware of? Just shut up and keep your cool until this all said and done._ "

" _Don't tell me to shut up._ "

" _I just did, so stop acting like a baby and let's just listen to the man,_ " Orion chastised, " _Besides, we get to be the first out of everyone to see Autumn again. You should focus on that rather than how annoyed you are at the fact this man is always smiling._ "

Brian eyed his twin for a moment before nodding, " _Fine, but I don't have to enjoy following his orders._ "

" _What are you, five?_ " Orion glared again.

Brian glared back, " _Three-hundred, thanks._ "

"Are you two done your little squabble?" Crowley grinned, "I'd like to leave now if that's alright with you."

Orion nodded while Brian scoffed and crossed his arms, "Yes, of course," He nudged his twin with his elbow before following Crowley as he walked passed them to leave his office, "How long will it be until we reach Fukushima?"

"Traveling nonstop at our speed, not long," Crowley continued to walk while the twins followed behind him, "Remember that Autumn is with humans, so it would have taken longer for them to reach their destination."

"Aries was very brief on telling us about that mission she was sent on," Brian eyed the back of Crowley's head for a moment before continuing, "Do you know anymore information regarding what she was supposed to do?"

"Only that Autumn was specifically chosen to go with the Queen's pet to protect the humans she's with," Crowley grinned to himself, "Although, I have a feeling there's more to it than that, but we won't know until we get to her now will we?"

The two nodded and followed the progenitor out of the building and stopped as he turned to wave to his two aides.

"I'll be back shortly with Autumn," Crowley looked at Chess, "When we arrive, please be nice to the humans she with and don't try to snack on them. Feed yourself from the livestock we have here and make sure you're not thirsty when they arrive."

Chess pouted slightly but nodded, "Okay."

"Lord Crowley," When Horn caught his eye, she hesitated only for a moment, "Be careful."

He smiled at her and nodded, "We'll be back soon."

* * *

 **Kind of a slow chapter, but at least things are moving along!**

 **Next chapter is when everything really starts, meaning that we're going to see the beginning of the war and see everyone else up to this point. I'm going to try and make the next few chapters lengthy, especially when we arrive to the point where Krul tries to "negotiate" with Autumn to make her stay in Japan.**

 **Speaking of Krul, what do you think she's up to? :o**

 **I'm going to try and update as quickly as possible, but as we all know, jobs and outside activities come first!**

 **I love all of you lovelies who have favored and followed any of my works, as well as my ghost readers who enjoy along with us all! :)**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	12. CH XII

**Hey guys! Sorry I've been pretty much MIA for a while, but this new job is KILLING ME. Like, ughhhhhhhhhhh...**

 **Thank you to those of you who have given this a read, and also a big thank you to Blue, my guest reviewer that made my bloody day when I got the "ping" on my phone for emails. :'D**

 **NOTE: English speaking in this chapter~ :)**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH XII;;;**

 **\- x -**

* * *

"Aden! Where the _hell_ is Crowley Eusford?!"

Aden frowned slightly as he turned to see the vampire Queen storming towards him angrily, her ruby eyes narrowed dangerously as she approached. He could already tell that she'd dealt with the infuriating Seventh Progenitor that belonged to Aries, but now she had her sights on someone who was to be the hulking males' partner on the battlefield.

She also noticed that for someone who was supposed to collaborate with said Thirteenth Progenitor, the Canadian noble was calm. Too calm.

"I want an answer, right now!" Krul struck faster than Aden anticipated, sending him flying into a wall as her hand caught his throat in a tight grip, "Where is Eusford?"

Aden winced under her extremely harsh grip and narrowed his eyes down at Krul, "What the fuck are you talking about, Krul?!"

"Don't play dumb!" Krul spat angrily, "He went to go find Autumn, didn't he? Answer me!"

The tall, ginger haired male pressed against the wall narrowed his eyes down at her as his hand reached up to grip her slender wrist, "Woman! Don't make me repeat myself, damn it!"

With an aggravated growl, Krul flung the taller male to the side and watched as his body hit the floor, "Where are his aides?"

"Like I would know," Aden picked himself up as he muttered something under his breath, "Why don't you go and find _ponytail_ and ask him."

Krul's brow rose, "I already found and kicked Ferid around, and my next target is your darling Fifth Progenitor."

"Aries won't let you push her around, so I'd give up if I were you," Aden stood and fully faced the Queen, "Besides, how the hell would Crowley Eusford have gotten out of the city without you knowing? Doesn't he have three other progenitors around his territory aside from those aides that are always with him?"

Krul eyed him suspiciously and crossed her arms, "The twins are missing, too. Do you know anything about that, Aden?"

"I'm not in charge of the twins while we're here, and I thought you know that," Aden growled, "If you want to find them, then go and speak to–"

"We never assigned them to a duty for this war," Krul cut him off, "Which is why I'm curious as to why those two have disappeared at the same time as Crowley has."

"That's not my damn problem."

"They're _your_ people," Krul snarled, "You hold a high position in Canada and I figured you would maintain some form of order over your men while they're here. What sort of damn commander are you?"

Aden felt his temper slipping at the tiny vampiress in front of him, "Are we done here?"

Krul narrowed her eyes in a dangerous glare, "You dare try dismissing me?"

"No, he's not," Aries cut Aden's nasty retort off as she stepped in front of the temperamental red head, "What's going on here?"

The pinkette turned her heated glare towards the tall blond Fifth Progenitor, "So you finally appear from the shadows. Maybe you can shed some light on what's going on."

"I didn't think there was anything going to begin with," Aries crossed her arms under her bust and narrowed her eyes slightly, "Ferid told me that you were on a rampage and now I find you assaulting Autumn's favorite general? You need to tell me what's going on, Krul."

Krul almost lost her cool at the demeaning tone Aries began to use with her, "Watch your mouth," She snarled before locking eyes with her, "Where the hell is Crowley?"

"Crowley is currently missing," Aries said as it were obvious.

"WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" Krul roared angrily, "We are twenty- _fucking_ -four hours away from this war and he was a key player!"

Aden fought to keep the grin off his face as he watched the Queen of vampires finally lose her temper, wishing Autumn was here to tango with the tiny pinkette instead of the more docile Aries.

"Last time I checked, I was Ferid Bathory's mate and I was not Crowley Eusford's keeper," Aries said easily, "Besides, as I believe your argument with Aden was that he couldn't keep hold of our Canadian vampires, so let's fire that question right back at you. Crowley is one of your vampires, so why are you jumping down all of our throats when you have no knowledge of what goes on with your vampires?"

By this point, Krul was beyond furious and holding back from tearing into Aries, "How _dare_ you!"

"Are for the twins," Aries ignored her and sighed softly, "I'm sure they're off doing their own reckon mission from one of the other generals. They learned all of their tricks from the master, so I can imagine that you'd have difficulties finding them unless they wanted you to know where they were."

"Where are Crowley's aides?" Krul growled out.

Aries grinned, "Chess is currently being held hostage by Kari, and Horn is helping Ferid run a little errand for me in regards to checking up on June and all of the others who are technically our medics."

Unfortunately for Aries, Krul wasn't accepting her explanation, "I want those two in front of me in ten minutes, or else there will be heads rolling."

"You're threatening me?" Aries narrowed her eyes, retorting Krul's earlier question.

Aden suddenly stepped between the two and held his hands up, "Alright, both of you just chill with the fangs and claws before you start a fight. We need to save the rage for when we're facing those problematic humans of yours."

"Aden's right," Aries stepped around him to look at the Queen, "Instead of going on a rampage to find someone who obviously isn't here, we should be focusing on collecting our resources and preparing for this battle. I'm sure wherever the twins have run off to, Crowley is either with them to oversee what they're doing, or is with one of my other commanders to finalize strategies."

Krul stared at the two for what seemed like forever before turning on her heel and storming away, not uttering a single word to them before her haughty retreat.

" _Wow..._ " Aden exhaled deeply and ran his fingers through his ginger locks, " _What a woman._ "

" _You know_ ," Aries grinned, " _I didn't think that woman swore. Autumn's going to be jealous that she missed that._ "

" _No kidding,_ " Aden looked down at Aries and chuckled, " _After all of that, that's all you have to say?_ "

Aries shrugged slightly, " _Her anger isn't my concern. It just means that someone has noticed Crowley's missing, and that someone is close to the Queen._ "

" _Well, it's too late to worry about that now since he's already gone,_ " Aden sighed, " _I seriously thought she was going to rip my throat out._ "

With a sympathetic gaze, Aries reached up to gently pat Aden on the shoulder before motioning for him to follow, " _Come on, we need to go save poor Horn from my mate before he asks too many questions._ "

. . .

"We have extra blood bags in case of an emergency, and we've also stocked all of our own personal trinkets for quick ingestion," June explained as Ferid and Horn followed her closely through the rows of supplies for the immortal troupes.

"We have a syringe that all of our armies always carry on their persons with a substance a good friend of Autumn's created that can reverse the affects of an injury caused by cursed gear, but it's a one-shot deal. Too much of this stuff could kill even a very strong and old noble, so no one is allowed to carry more than one dose on them."

Horn nodded and took everything in, trying to hastily memorize the whereabouts of all that would need to be in a hand's reach for when she and Chess were working with June and Kari. At first it was overwhelming to her, but she soon settled down and allowed herself to relax to the fact that she might not be with Crowley during the war, but her well-known calm and collected maturity would allow her to become an asset.

"Really? I wasn't aware that there was any sort of way to handle a curse without using a detoxification chamber," Ferid mused as he watched June stop by a sealed container, "Fascinating! Perhaps we progenitors should keep one on ourselves, too."

June watched him and offered him a smile, knowing she had to be polite since he was not only the Seventh Progenitor, but also Aries mate, "If that is what you wish, then I will see to it that when we prepare the troupes and their satchels, that you progenitors will receive one to hide in your attire."

Ferid gave her a charming smile while Horn watched the two, "Will there be an easier way for those who be fighting to recover?"

"Well, as I'm sure you're aware Horn, the easiest way for a vampire to recover strength or to help accelerated healing is to feed from a humans," June explained with a smile, "If by some chance a battalion of the Demon Army chooses to ingest poison to avoid being killed or tortured by our forces, then our guys will simply need to pull out a vile and drink a portion."

As June explained this, she lifted a long and slender glass vial from a holster. This brought a grin to Ferid's face, feeling a sense of irony at the familiar object in her hands despite the fact it wasn't currently filled with the Queen's blood for her greatest pet, Mika.

"Autumn's goal when she chose to go with these tactics was to give us all more options than what we could have when we get onto the battlefield," June looked at Horn, "Our job is to make sure that everyone has a constant supply. If they do, then we need to make sure that we stay on top of the injured."

Horn nodded while Ferid gave a wave of his hand, "I'm sure there won't be need for such preparations, but you do seem like you've done this before. Is this your task back in Canada? To be on the sidelines and to help those who are injured?"

"It is, and it's what I enjoy," June said as she brushed a few strands of her chocolate hair from her face, "For the most part, what I've said is basically what we have to work with. Until Aden, Stephan and Nicholi see what the humans here are capable of, there's no guessing what is needed to prepare. All we can do is picture a worst-case scenario and go from there."

Horn nodded, "Yes. It's better to be prepared for anything than to overestimate the humans."

"Exactly," June grinned.

Ferid was about to give an amused comment when Aries scent floated into the air, instantly drawing his attention over to her and Aden as they walked over to join the three.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," June mused, taking in Aden's stressed expression.

He glared slightly, "Krul and I had a little misunderstanding, that's all."

"Meaning, she almost kicked his ass," A grin pulled at June's lips while Aries nodded.

"Ah yes," Ferid watched all of the Canadian vampires before running the backs of his fingers down Aries cheek in a gentle, soothing motion, "She was rather upset when she barged into my manor today, demanding to know where Crowley had run off to."

Aden watched closely and felt a pang of jealousy poke at his insides for a split second before tearing his gaze away from the two, "She was looking for Chess and Horn, too."

"We know," Horn looked at him, "We were in lord Ferid's mansion when Queen Krul paid him a visit."

June smiled, "Aries asked Kari to take Chess while I took Horn, so we were able to sneak them out while Ferid kindly distracted the Queen."

"To be given such a dangerous task," Ferid feigned a sigh, "It's a wonder I still have my head on my shoulders after that meeting."

Aries looked at him and smiled, "Don't worry, I think I managed to shift her attention elsewhere for the time being."

"Good," A teasing grin pulled at the silver haired males lips, "Although I am quite upset that you chose not to tell me that Crowley had taken off to go and find our dear Autumn and those adorable humans."

Aden tensed while Horn and June waited silently to see how Aries would handle the situation, not entirely missing as the Fifth Progenitor's lips quirked.

"I couldn't," She said honestly, "You would have wanted to join him and unfortunately, I couldn't cover for two of you to run off no matter how convincing I can be. Besides, Crowley is Autumn's mate, so it's only fitting that he go and find her."

"So you believe they will return in time for this war?" Ferid asked with an amused tone, brushing his fingers against her cheek before cupping the side of her face in the palm of his hand, "I have my doubts about dear Mika being willing to come back with little Yuu and all of those humans."

Aries suddenly grinned, matching not only Aden's, but June's expressions as well, "You obviously don't know Autumn very well then, do you?"

. . .

"Alright, we're ready to go," Shinoa smiled at Autumn as she adjusted the straps of her bag over both shoulders, "And don't worry about us leaving here early. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get Guren and his team back and finally go somewhere safe."

Autumn looked at the young girl and nodded, returning her smile, "If that's what you guys decided on, then let's do it."

"What's going to happen when we get there?" Narumi asked as he walked over to the two, "Are we going to entering the battlefield in enemy territory, or behind the vampires lines?"

Shinya looked at him while the others approached, "Autumn and Mika were very clear on how the current territory is divided up, so if we skirt around Nagoya like when we were escaping the city, we should land fairly close to where some of the vampires will be."

"Like I said before, there's also the possibility that Aries went behind Krul's back and sent someone out to look for me," Autumn looked at everyone, "If she did, then they'll most likely know what's going on and have a lot more intel than what Shinya, Mika and I can go by at this point."

"I know you guys don't like walking in blind and neither do I, but we have no choice," Mika frowned.

Mitsuba and Kimizuki stood back and nodded while Yoichi summoned his demonic bow and readied himself.

"We should go," Autumn looked towards Yuu, "While we travel, you'll need to stick with Mika and Shinoa," She then turned to Yoichi and smiled, "You and I already talked so you know what to do. As for my heavy-hitters," With her ruby eyes on Kimizuki, Mitsuba and Narumi, Autumn grinned, "You'll all be near the front with me. I may ask one of you to hang back for extra protection in the back, but I'm sure Shinya's capable of outwitting all of us."

"Again with the flattery," Shinya chuckled and grinned at her before turning to Narumi and Mitsuba, "I think I'll ask you two to sit near the back with me and let Yoichi take point with Autumn and Narumi. There's no need for two snipers in the back when she'll need an extra set of eyes in the front."

Yoichi nodded with a smile, "Okay."

Yuu frowned and grumbled under his breath, "Why can't I take point with Autumn in the front? I'm strong enough to–"

"It's not that you aren't strong enough," Mika cut him off and offered him a strained smile, "It's just that you're the one we left the city to protect. If we let you lead with Autumn and Kimizuki, then there's a higher risk of you getting killed or taken."

"Pah, I'd like to see anyone try and take one of you away from me," Autumn smirked, "Besides, Mika's right. My job was to protect all of you while the war panned out, so if you stay in the middle you'll be safe."

Yuu stood there and frowned, but remained silent due to the fact he knew he wouldn't win the argument, "Fine..."

"Aw, don't sulk!" Autumn ruffled his hair and caused him to grunt, "Now, come on. Let's get going before the sun rises."

Narumi and Kimizuki both hesitated as Autumn began to walk forward, "Are you sure traveling now is the best time?"

"If we leave now while it's still very early, we should be halfway through the neighboring city by nightfall," Autumn explained, "There aren't any vampires or Horsemen around, because if there were I would have caught their scent or sensed them by now so don't worry."

Not entirely satisfied but without a choice in the matter, the two reluctantly followed and soon fell into their respective positions. Shinya offered Narumi an easy smile while Shinoa and Mitsuba both cast a glance over their shoulders to the tall male. Near the front, Kimizuki couldn't help but notice how at ease Yoichi was walking beside Autumn and felt himself loosen his already fairly tensed muscles slightly. Sure, he had allowed himself to become more open and accepting to her status in their lives, but she was still a vampire and still caused his engraved skills as a mercenary to trigger every now and then.

The group traveled in silence for what seemed like a majority of the day, only really breaking the boredom with either Yuu's complaints followed by Mika's scoldings or Shinya offering that they stop to rest and eat. Autumn had been easy going for the most part, but Mika and Shinya could tell that she was beginning to feel impatient.

Who could blame her? They were on their way back to the battle grounds where her family was.

And her mate.

When they neared their last spot where they would camp for the night, something felt off. Autumn couldn't shake the feeling that something - or someone - was coming, but chose to keep it to herself until she was positive it was an enemy.

"Do you want to go and relax before everyone goes to bed?" Mika looked at Autumn as he walked over to her, "You seem tense, so I figured you could use a break from being everyone's guard dog."

Autumn giggled slightly at his term for her and shrugged, "I'm fine."

"You really don't seem it," He said with a more direct tone, "What's got you so bothered?"

She turned to look at him and scanned over his features quickly before turning her attention ahead of them once again, "Something, or someone, is headed our way but I can't figure out if it's a friend or foe. They aren't close enough for me to tell just yet."

"Do you think it's the people Aries might have sent?"

"Possibly, but like I said they're not close enough yet for me to tell," Autumn stated flatly, "If they keep approaching us as fast ad they seem to be, I'll know fairly soon."

Mika nodded slowly, "You can tell that they're moving towards us?"

"It's training that I've done that teaches you how to interpret movement by the vibrations in the ground," Autumn smiled, "I'll teach you if you come to Canada with us all."

With another nod, Mika smiled small and gave serious consideration over her words.

"Hey, guys!" Yoichi's voice tore their attention from each other and up to his perch in the trees, "I see something!"

Autumn watched him carefully, "Is it anyone you recognize?"

"I can't see faces yet, but it looks like two – no three – vampires are headed this way," Yoichi hollard down, not letting his eyes wander from the spot in the middle of his enhanced scope.

Suddenly, all of the bodies were up and over to where Mika and Autumn were standing, each with their weapons at the ready in case of an attack.

It only took another few minutes before Yoichi finally revealed who was coming, making Autumn smirk as she caught not only his scent, but the twins as well.

"So," She propped her hands on her hips as she waited patiently facing the direction the three were coming in, "Crowley decided to go against my wishes and come find me after all. Figures he'd do that, and Aries must have recommended my two favorite students for him to bring along, too."

Kimizuki stiffened considerably while Mitsuba and Shinoa gripped their weapons a little tighter. Yuu stood beside Mika and narrowed his eyes slightly while Narumi and Shinya stood behind Autumn and waited.

Finally, when the trio arrived, Crowley was the first to appear from the bushes and looked directly at Autumn with a crooked grin.

"Well, if I had of known you were going to meet me halfway I might have come alone," Crowley chuckled as he looked over all of those in her company, "This must be everyone?"

Autumn nodded with a grin and walked towards him, looking passed him as Brian and Orion also appeared from the bushes, "Hello, darlings!"

Both of the Williams twins smiled at the sight of their favored, idolized progenitor before taking in all of the humans that were in her company.

"I know there's a lot of them, but I promise that they will be able to handle themselves," Autumn assured as she closed the distance, choosing the greet her brethren before Crowley and flung both of her arms around their necks to pull them in close, "I missed you both! Have you been good for Stephan?"

Orion chuckled and gave her back a gentle pat while Brian returned her hug with a loose curl of his arm, "Yes, we have. Preparations are also being completed as we speak back in Kyoto."

"Good," Autumn smirked, "With any luck, we'll get here before the real fun begins."

With that, she released the two and quickly spun around to look up at mate with a genuine smile. He returned it with his own and scooped her up, not giving her a chance to retaliate or to fuss while he pressed a kiss to the side of her head. There was a moment's hesitation on her part where her body stiffened only slightly on contact, but soon she settled against his chest and released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"I've missed you," Crowley whispered into her ear gently before pulling away only enough to look down at her, "So have the girls."

Autumn felt a shiver run down her spine as she slowly, loosely hugged his neck to return the intimate gesture, "And I've missed you all."

"Good," He chuckled and grinned, "I should also apologize for breaking my promise, although I feel that Aries is quite happy that I volunteered to come and get you."

"I figured she'd start to crack the closer the actual fight got," Autumn sighed slightly but shook it off, "Probably doesn't help that that creeper mate is hovering over her... Oh how I hope I won't have to beat the ever livin' out of him when I get back..."

Crowley suddenly smirked and trapped her with a large hand to the back of her head and pulled her down, "Just shut up and kiss me, Autumn."

Autumn gasped slightly as she was pulled into a surprisingly gentle, passionate kiss. Crowley was none too cautious when showing her that he missed her, not letting her waist go from his tight grip as he held her tight against his chest. She felt him grin against her lips as she tightened her grip around his neck, even if it were such a subtle gesture that only the most sensitive would have picked up on.

Brian tensed as the progenitor locked Autumn in a heated kiss, having to be held back from spouting a complaint by his twin.

He gave Orion a heated glare and threw his hand towards the two, " _Do you see this?! Who the hell does he think he is?!_ "

" _Oh, let me see, um, well... he's_ _her mate, dumb ass,_ " Came the sarcastic reply.

Meanwhile, Shinoa grinned brightly as she hugged Mitsuba's arm, "Young love."

Mitsuba's cheeks burned at the sight they were seeing, as well from the annoyance of the closeness of the lilac haired girl, "Shinoa, let go!"

"This is disgusting," Narumi muttered angrily, "Can't they wait to do that when they're alone?"

Shinya smiled as he watched, "Just think of it this way, Narumi," He paused only to look at the tall brunette, "They're like two lovers that have been separated for a lifetime and now they're back together."

"They're vampires," Narumi glared.

"They've also sacrificed a lot to help protect all of you," Shinya argued, earning a glare from the male beside him, "Look, I'm not pro-vampire, but I like and trust Autumn."

Mika walked over to Narumi, "I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Shinya."

"What am I to think? That this vampire is going to follow through with his words?" Narumi motioned to Crowley, who finally released Autumn from their heated kiss and was setting her back onto her feet, "You and Autumn, I can deal with. The monster? I don't trust him."

"Monster?" Crowley looked over to Narumi and grinned, "I didn't realize I left that much of an impact on you."

Shinya stopped Narumi from retorting and offered the muscular vampire a smile, "He means well, just like the rest of us."

"They're under my protection, and will continue to be under my protection even if they don't come back to Canada with me," Autumn looked up at Crowley, "So, please be nice."

"Of course," Crowley chuckled, "I'm here to help you and to make friends with your English family, as well as these little humans you seem to be so fond of."

From behind the two, Brian scoffed slightly but was slapped on the arm by Orion. Yuu and Yoichi watched with small smiles, while Kimizuki crossed his arms and watched with an unhappy expression on his face.

"We should get going before night hits," Shinoa stepped up, noticing the tension in the air was growing and her willingness to avoid confrontation began to take over, "Unless we're staying here, of course."

Autumn looked at Crowley, "How bad is it?"

"Well," Crowley looked down at her with a lopsided grin, "By now the Queen probably knows that the twins and myself are missing and is more than likely furious, so it's probably not a good idea to go directly to the Capitol. Aries and Aden were going to give us as much cover as we needed to get out of the city, but she never said anything about getting back in. Although, I was assured that the Williams twins and you would be more than enough to smuggle us all back in without much difficulty."

With a grin, Autumn and the twins exchanged knowing looks before nodding, "Of course! This is the sort of thing we've all be preparing for."

"The war hasn't started yet?" Mitsuba frowned, not meaning to interrupt or draw attention to herself, "So then, we still have time to capture Guren."

Yuu nodded at her before bravely looking Crowley in the eyes, "I don't know if you're true to your word or not, but I trust Autumn and she said she was going to help us get our friends back and then get out of harms way."

Crowley looked over to Yuu and chuckled, "Relax. Like I said, I'm here to make friends. If you're with us, then I'll help protect you from both the other vampires and the humans."

Mika eyed the tall progenitor for a moment before turning to Yuu, "We can trust him. Out of all of the nobles, Crowley is the only one that's true to his word."

"Why, thank you," Said noble chuckled.

"So then," Shinya broke the calm atmosphere as he stepped forward with a firm expression, "If things haven't already started, when do we expect to walk right into a fight?"

"At dawn," Was Crowley's simple, yet very real response.

* * *

 **Again, I'm so sorry that this has taken so long to post! I was hoping to be done this series before July, but with this job I've got I doubt I'll even be able to update before next week. ;-;**

 **As for the story itself, we're finally going to see the war in the next chapter. I'm going to take my time with it and make it as descriptive as possible, considering we have the vampires who are from Canada that have a different fighting style. We also get to see Autumn and Aries show their true potential during this war, so that's pretty exciting too! :)**

 **As always, I love y'all so very much and I hope you have a wonderful day! :)**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	13. CH XIII

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay but life is hectic right now. I'm not at the job as I was that consumed my life due to health issues, so hopefully now that things are looking like they're going to settle down, I can finally resume a decent updating schedule! :'D  
**

 **Hope you enjoy this! :)**

 **Also, a very big thank you to all of you who have reviewed, favored, watched and read! You guys all rock! :D**

 **TO make up for my lack of updating, I present to you some Crowley sexy-ish time! You fellow Crowley lovers can thank me later. ;)**

 **NOTE: English speaking in this chapter~ :D**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH XIII;;**

 **The Final Battle – Part I of III**

 **\- x -**

* * *

There was a moment before the sun rose up into the sky to bring with it the warmth of the morning, where time stood still. Both sides stood facing one another in a deadlock before one made a move merely seconds before the other, signalling the start of one of the most important battles of human history. It was the final stand against the beings that took the lives of so many, and to take back what was lost to the humans who had lived where the foes currently clashed.

The sounds of steel and demon weaponry was thick and echoed around the surrounding cities as the humans of the Moon Demon Army fought hard against the vampires, who were more than eager to get their hands on a snack during the bloodied times. Bodies of slain humans and the clothing of vampires turned to ash from a wound delivered by a cursed weapon littered the entire area, only to be ignored as the fight continued to those who could still fight.

Men and women missing limbs cried out in rage, throwing their weapons high into the air only to bring them down against the tempered steel of their enemies. Some were successful, and some were killed instantly. They had only one goal, and that was to kill as many vampires as they could before they took in their last breath.

Kureto Hiragi, who was standing back watching as the beginning stages of the war carried on, had ordered each of his soldiers to keep a suicide pill tucked neatly in the back recesses of their mouths as a last resort, but had witnessed several instances where they had no choice.

He stood by patiently, waiting for the opportune moment to release the Seraph that lay dormant in the large shipping crate lifted high above him.

It was a very familiar scene to the vampires that had survived that day, with each set of eyes sparing a second glance that way with the feeling of impending doom settling in the pits of their bellies. They were trained to be ruthless and not to show fear, but it was something the living would never forget.

Among the troves of warriors that fought, was a particular woman that the Hiragi Lieutenant General had set his sights on. She was beautiful even to him, and had blond hair that did not stain no matter how many times she took a life. She was like a phantom, moving around his soldiers with such grace that it seemed almost a shame to end her dance.

Behind her, was a hulking vampire with auburn hair that remained closer to her throughout the clash. He showed surprising skill and potential despite being a vampire. Kureto had also wanted him for the cursed gear experiments.

Power, was something the humans were after. It was the destruction of the vampires and their empire, and to regain humanity and reign supreme once again.

However, there was a setback that Kureto hadn't calculated into his plans.

His eyes scanned for a familiar progenitor that was always eager to fight against his men, but the tall male was missing. There was also the fact that the Second Progenitor, who Guren was specifically ordered to find and capture, was also missing.

He'd made his mind up, knowing once those two were present, he would need the power of his Seraph to gain the upper hand. Acknowledging their power was a blow to is pride as a human, but the humor behind his choice would seek to benefit once the real plan was put into action.

. . .

Autumn felt her entire body tingle as the distant sounds of weaponry clashing against one another and smirked. This was the moment she'd lived for ever since she arrived to Japan, knowing that Krul was finally making good on her promise to deliver to her an eventful fight.

However...

"We're almost there," Autumn looked at Brian and Orion, "When we arrive, find Aries and bring her to me immediately."

They both nodded, "Understood!"

Crowley looked at Autumn as they continued traveling at a fast pace, "You're not going to dive into the fight?"

"No," She shook her head, "As much as I want to, I need to see that Aries is safe with my own eyes. Besides, something doesn't feel right."

"Oh?" His brow rose.

"I can't explain it, but I have a bad feeling about this war," Autumn explained, knowing the twins were currently watching her as well, "My weapons aren't settling and I can feel it," She paused to look at him, "the Seraph. The energy is causing the air to pulsate."

Brian frowned, "We knew they have a Seraph with them."

"I know, but it's still an unnerving feeling," Autumn looked forward, "To tell you the truth, that's not whats really bothering me. I can't explain it, but I feel like something just isn't right."

Orion watched her out of the corner of his eye, "Do you think we made a mistake coming here?"

Crowley eyed the twin before turning his attention back to Autumn, who shook her head, "No, I don't."

"Is it Aries?" Brian's brows furrowed.

Autumn shook her head, "We'll see when we get there."

"Hey, guys!" Autumn looked back towards the humans following them and grinned at Yuu, who looked as those he would pass out if they ran any faster, "Do you mind slowing down just a little bit?!"

"Come on, Yuu! I thought you were all fitness!" Autumn teased, "You all had one of those pills in order to enhance everything, so don't complain. You'll be just fine!"

Shinoa giggled as she ran beside Yuu, "See, I told you that she would make fun of you."

Yuu groaned and muttered something under his breath for a moment while Kimizuki looked ahead at Autumn, "What are we going to do about strategy? We can't just charge into the battle blindly with no formation."

"I was hoping one of you were going to ask me that," Autumn said in an almost gleeful tone, "Shinya and I had already discussed this before Crowley arrived with my boys, so listen closely and try not to argue with your positioning _Yuu_."

"Hey!"

"Shinoa, Narumi and Mitsuba, you three will remain near the rear of our newly developed squad," Autumn began, "That way, you can offer aid to Shinya and Yoichi should they need it, as well as offer Mika support while he defends his beloved Yuu."

Mika narrowed his eyes slightly at her for the very _Ferid like_ comment, but chose to ignore it all the while Yuu muttered something under his breath again in aggravation.

"Right!" Mitsuba and Shinoa both said in unison, while Narumi nodded and maintained his pace.

"Kimizuki, you will also be helping Mika with Yuu," Shinya was the one to state this, "With the three of you as vanguards once Autumn is preoccupied, we shouldn't have much trouble. Yoichi and I as you know, will be offering support from behind, so give us enough time to find a sniping post before you go all out."

"Now that everything is settled," Autumn grinned slightly, "I have one request from all of you."

"Which is?" Shinoa called out, her face twisting in a somewhat confused yet curious manner.

Autumn sent each of the humans trailing her a long look before smiling, "You'll all do fine, so promise me that you won't forget that I am your ally and won't let any of you die."

Smiles lit up on several of their faces while Narumi and Kimizuki still held a more cautious expression, nonetheless they were somewhat relieved for her declaration.

From beside her, she could feel Crowley's eyes on her and could tell just by a single glance that he was grinning. Whether he was amused at her open display of affection for the humans he was once told to fight against, or he was confirming something from a previous conversation, Autumn did not know. However, she felt a light flutter in her belly at the sight and welcomed the feelings that had been absent for the entire trip away from the vampire city.

When the group was finally in range, Autumn motioned for the Williams twins to go ahead of them to locate Aries, which they did with great haste. She herself came to stop, motioning for the others to follow suit and decided to look around.

Where they'd ended up was already torn apart and barely standing from the war still being fought even now. She frowned at that, wondering how many humans that managed to remain hidden for so long had lost their lives during this petty skirmish.

"We should get moving before someone catches onto us," Shinya suggested as he walked towards Autumn.

She shook her head before reaching up to push her long, black fringe out of her face as she exhaled softly, "No one is in the vicinity that would pose any problems, so we're alright for now. Although, if you and Yoichi wanted to scout out a perfect spot to set up, you're more than welcome to."

Shinya chuckled, "And miss a touching reunion with you and your friend? I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Autumn grinned at him before waving him off and striding over to Crowley, "Where are the girls?"

Crowley looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before blinking, bringing his hand up to curl his index finger around his chin, "Hmm, let me see... I believe Krul and Aries agreed to have Chess and Horn help with your two ladies, Kari and June."

"Well, they couldn't have asked for better role models," Autumn grinned, "Those two will show them a good time, I can assure you."

With a chuckle, Crowley closed the space between them and pulled her to his side, "I'm sure they're all getting along quite well. Before I left, June was already telling Horn what her role would be. Kari was still dragging Chess around the last time I saw them, so that hasn't changed."

"I didn't think it would," Autumn giggled slightly, "Kari hasn't met someone like herself before, so it's probably a bit of a shock. She may not let her newfound obsession with Chess go for a while."

Crowley nodded with a grin, "So, does this mean you want us to return to Canada with you?"

"You know, I would actually love that," Autumn met his grin with her own, "But I am open for a debate once everyone is all together after this war is finished."

"Deal," He chuckled, before leaning down to press a small kiss to Autumn's lips, "Oops, I forgot. Those humans of yours don't enjoy public displays of affection."

Autumn grinned up at him, "Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for that after this war is over."

"I know," A deep growl reverberated from within his chest that caused a shiver to run up Autumn's spine, "Don't think I've forgotten about your promise, Autumn."

Her cheeks tinged red as she sighed dramatically, "Of course you haven't."

"Autumn!"

All eyes were on an approaching figure that had just called out to the Second Progenitor, noticing it was a tall, blond woman in noble clothing that was fast approaching with the Williams twins on her heels.

"Aries!" Autumn grinned brightly and pulled away from Crowley as Aries closed in on them, "About time you showed up! I was dying of old age!"

Aries grinned brightly and rushed over, enveloping Autumn in a tight hug while Brian and Orion stood back and watched with relieved expressions.

"I'm so glad you're here," Aries sighed deeply, pulling away from the woman whom she'd called her sister for years, "Krul is ridiculously angry at us for changing plans at the last minute and for Crowley disappearing, but she'll deal. When Brian and Orion showed up, I told Aden that we would be back shortly so you can imagine how excited he is to see his favorite teacher again."

Autumn smirked, "Is it getting bad out there?"

"It is," She frowned, "The humans are preparing to release their Seraph."

Crowley stepped forward and placed his hand on Autumn's shoulder, "We should get going then."

Autumn nodded and turned around as she motioned to the group behind her, "I'll make introductions later, but Aries, memorize their faces. We're protecting them as new members of our family."

Aries turned her attention to all of the ex-soldiers and smiled, "A pleasure to meet you all."

Shinya, who had been standing off to the side silently, waved to her with a smile, "Not at all. We're here to help."

"Good to hear," Aries said in a light manner, "You'll all stay together with us near the front. Most of our higher ups are with us anyways, so stay close and you won't get hurt."

Shinoa smiled, "We'll be careful, but don't worry about protecting us. We're quite a skilled group."

"They are," Autumn agreed as she looked at Aries, "Let's go. I have words for Krul, anyways."

Aries nodded and turned around, only to look back over her shoulder, "Oh yeah..."

Autumn blinked and watched as Aries turned to face her once again with a grim expression, "What's wrong?"

"The humans," Aries crossed her arms under her bust and downcast her eyes slightly as her brows furrowed, "We caught one of them and managed to interrogate him. They've been ordered to kill all of the lower ranking vampires, and to incapacitate and capture all of the nobles."

Crowley's brow rose at that while Autumn frowned, "I knew something didn't feel right. Have they captured anyone yet?"

"Not that I've heard, but we're all keeping a close watch now," Aries locked eyes with Autumn, " _They want you and me, Autumn. They figured out who we are and they're coming for us. They're also very eager to catch Krul, too, and not many of the humans know she is._ "

Autumn grimaced, " _How the hell do they know who we are?_ "

" _I don't know, but we need to be on guard every second during this fight. Aden's already killed more than his fair share of humans today that have tried to come after me, as did Ferid. They're both targets as well, but they're especially persistent in trying to catch me. I think while they're after all nobles, the higher ranking ones like you and Krul are the ones they're willing to do anything for._ "

With a click of her tongue, Autumn crossed her arms and closed her eyes for a moment, " _They must have found the same information on us that Shinya did. He told me that he and a friend of his did their research, but could only find minimal about us. Still, that's the only way that they would know our names and rank._ "

" _Agreed,_ " Aries nodded, remaining silent for a moment before lowering her voice to just above a whisper, " _I think you should let him feed from you. He may be strong on his own, but he'll be a target too._ "

Autumn nodded slowly, opening her eyes as she looked over the expression on Aries face, " _I know. I'll get you to go on ahead with the humans and take care of that right away._ "

" _Okay,_ " Aries smiled small, " _I know you wanted to wait, but the situation calls for it, Autumn. You know I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it wasn't serious._ "

" _I know,_ " Autumn repeated as she reached up and placed a hand on Aries shoulder gently, " _Tell Aden I'm on my way and to be ready to work._ "

A grin pulled at Aries lips as she nodded, "Will do," Looking passed her, she motioned for Shinoa's group to follow, "Come on ladies and gentleman, we're heading out."

"That's our cue," Shinya looked at Yoichi, "Time to go."

Yoichi nodded and smiled at his comrades, "Stay safe and know that we're watching from above."

"We know you've got our backs," Yuu smirked.

Mika looked at Autumn for a moment, noticing the curious expression in her eyes as he passed by her to walk up to the Fifth Progenitor, "You're not coming with us?"

"Not quite yet," Autumn flashed him a devious grin, "I have something I need to discuss with Crowley, first."

As Shinoa and Mitsuba walked over, they instantly knew what was going on and suppressed a grin while Narumi and Kimizuki rolled their eyes. Yuu, who was oblivious, briskly walked over and passed the group heading straight for the Williams twins.

"See you soon," Aries waved.

Autumn watched the group until they were out of sight before finally turning to Crowley, who had his eyes on her the entire time. He looked curious, as well as confused.

"Don't give me that look, Crowley," Autumn sighed lightly, "It takes away from your appeal."

He suddenly grinned and chuckled, "Oh, really? So then, is this what I think it is?"

"Perhaps," Autumn said with an amused tone.

A small gasp left her lips as Crowley pressed her against one of the crumbling walls off to the side, pinning her hands above her head with a gentle grasp on her wrists. A shudder overcame her body when she felt his lips press hot, chaste kisses to the flesh of her exposed neck in repeated movements. She felt light headed, closing her eyes as she reveled in the feelings that began to swim through her veins and suddenly she had the strong urge to touch him. She wanted to run her hands down that broad, sculpted chest that she knew lay under those white layers of clothing.

"Crowley," She breathed out, biting her bottom lip as he canines grazed the conjunction of her throat, "Let go of my hands."

He chuckled against her skin and pulled away to look down at her, surprising her slightly with the way his ruby eyes were dilated, "If I don't?"

Autumn's response was quickly crushed as his lips met hers in a fierce, lustful kiss. Her breath hitched, and instantly her body warmed to the point that became almost too much to bare with. All she could think about was the way his lips moved against her own feverishly, or how his tongue tasted in their passionate exchange. He flashed her a devious smirk as he pulled away from her, looking down at her breathless, dazed appearance.

"It's getting very difficult to hold back," Crowley's raspy voice brought her back to reality, "I don't know how much longer I can continue dragging this out before I lose my control and take you right here and now."

Staring into his eyes, Autumn used the brief moment to slip her wrists out of his grip, reaching up to grab the collar of his uniform jacket to pull him down towards her. He gave a light groan of approval, pressing his body up against hers as they shared another deep, passionate kiss. She hummed as his hands began to move up and down her body, burning every inch that they touched in a way that made her crave more.

However, the light of recent events was all that weighed heavily on their minds and was what slowly brought them both back to their senses.

With a reluctant sigh, Crowley pulled away from her and jumped back to create a small gap between them, "That was too close."

"Yeah, no kidding..." Autumn leaned back against the wall to catch her breath, "I need you to feed from me."

Crowley looked at her somewhat startled by the sudden declaration, "What?"

"Feed from me," She looked at him, "I want you to have that boost while we're in battle, especially with the humans trying to capture us nobles. If it's the only way to protect you, then I'm more than willing to let you have my blood."

He stared her down for a moment, not entirely sure he'd heard her right but nodded slowly. With the fire still burning in his veins, Crowley took slow steps towards her and placed both hands against the wall to cage her.

"You're sure?" He looked down at her, noticing she was somewhat hesitant.

Autumn nodded and looked up at him, "Yes, I'm sure."

"I know you were hoping to wait until we mated..." Crowley whispered to her, "I can handle my own Autumn, so there is another option."

"Do it," She insisted with an urging tone, "We don't have much time, so just do it, Crowley."

The tall male watched his mate for a moment before nodding, "Fine, but it's no good if it's just me drinking your blood. I want you to feed from me, as well."

A smirk tugged at Autumn's lips, "That's a little intimate, isn't it?"

"Well, considering a vampire drinking from another is reserved just for intimate situations, I think it's appropriate," Crowley smirked, leaning down as he brushed his lips against the shell of her ear, "Besides, don't lie and tell me that you haven't been curious."

That much was true. Autumn was extremely curious to know what he tasted like, although she'd done a very good job at hiding it.

"Don't tease me," She shuddered, feeling his breath against the same spot on her neck as before.

With a light chuckle, Crowley's fangs grazed the sweet spot on her neck before finally piercing. At the same time, Autumn had settled herself at a spot on the side of his neck where she too, sank her fangs in and tasted ambrosia the second his blood touched her tongue.

. . .

Aden muttered to himself as he swung his sword for what seemed like the millionth time towards a human, slicing the man's chest wide open and watching as he fell to the ground.

"Damn it," He cursed under his breath, "How much longer until we thin their numbers?"

A light chuckle was heard from behind him, "My dear boy, you should know that the livestock will always try to find ways to rise above us. They've probably been busy training the children so that their survivors can procreate in order to breed stronger warriors."

Aden turned to look at Ferid, noticing the cruel grin that was stretched on his face, "Just what exactly are these humans capable of?"

"Haven't you already noticed they have a Seraph?" Ferid glanced over in the direction of the large container suspended in the air just behind where the commanders were stationed, "This is how far the humans have come here in Japan."

There was a moment of tension that swept over the two as they locked eyes, "Let me guess, you're going to try and tell me that this is purely the humans and their triumphs?"

"Of course it is!" Ferid said in an amused tone, "The humans are resilient, and have managed to turn the tables around on we who were arrogant and thought to be superior."

Aden chortled, "Sounds like a crock of bullshit if you ask me," He noticed the elder nobles expression never changed, so he decided to say what he was really thinking, "I think the humans have a very important vampire as an ally that's been feeding them information. Someone old, and would know exactly what it is they're looking for."

"Oh?" Ferid grinned, "I wonder who that could be?"

The two locked eyes, neither one muttering a word as they both waited for the other to move or speak first. It wasn't until the sounds of yelling coming close did the two break their gaze, turning to face what it was that was approaching.

Much to Aden's delight and Ferid's utter amusement, Aries returned to them with the Williams twins and reinforcements.

"My, my! Mika, how wonderful to see you once again!" Ferid smiled a friendly smile as the younger vampire approached, "And I see you've brought your darling Yuu and your cute little human friends~"

Mika openly glared at the noble but was cut off as Aries wrapped her arms around him to pull him close, shocking the blond while Aden scoffed and turned away from the scene.

"Ferid, please don't cause a scene," Aries whispered as she locked her arms around the progenitors neck, "We need to get along in order to fight those humans. They're here to help, so I expect you to help protect them."

Ferid grinned down at her and returned her affections, embracing her midsection and pulling her flush against him, "Why, your wish is my command, my darling Aries."

From behind Mika, Yuu, Kimizuki and Narumi all had a twisted look of disgust on their faces while the girls just watched closely with guarded expressions. They understood what this noble was capable of after listening to Autumn and Mika during their time across the map, so they weren't about to pretend like watching this was endearing. They may have trusted Aries because of Autumn and the undying faith she had in the younger blond progenitor, but with Ferid, they would heed the warnings and make sure not to trust the man.

"I'll acquaint you all later, but right now we need to prepare for the next wave of soldiers to come through here," Aries released Ferid and gently broke away from him as she walked over to Aden, "Autumn is on her way and will want to get started."

Aden smirked, "I know, and I can't wait. Things will get interesting now, seeing as how she has her two companions with her. I'm sure they're dying to be used."

Aries nodded, "Yeah, I can just imagine that they do," Quickly turning on her heel, she looked at the humans that Autumn had been told to guard and smiled, "Since Mika told me what Autumn instructed you all to do and what formation to take, I'm only going to make minor adjustments. To Kimizuki and Mika, you two will have Brian and Orion accompanying you. They're incredible fighters and will help keep the humans away from Yuu."

Mika turned to the twins, who each offered the blond vampire a light grin.

"As for the girls and Narumi," Aries turned to Shinoa with a grin, "I'll be sticking close to you, seeing as how I don't have to focus on fighting in the front lines anymore since Autumn is due to arrive any second now."

Shinoa nodded and smiled while Mitsuba grinned back at the blond progenitor, "Good to know we have another powerful friend on our side."

"Hey guys!"

All eyes turned to the two newcomers, each with a bright grin on their faces.

Autumn was the first to approach with Crowley right on her heels, "Wonderful to see that you guys haven't started the party without us," She looked right at Aden and smirked, "Long time no see, kid!"

Aden smirked back and bowed (somewhat) respectfully, "I didn't think you were going to make it in time. You know, with us fighting while you stick your tongue down that progenitors throat and all."

"Jealous?" Autumn cast him a sly look as she walked towards him, "Either way, that doesn't matter. I need to know how much longer we have until the Seraph is released."

"Not long," Aden said grimly, "We've pushed them back and even out their numbers enough that they're losing their edge, although I'm sure Aries has told you that we're being hunted. Ferid and I have spent the last few fucking hours watching each others backs because they're trying to capture us nobles."

Ignoring the sarcastic tone he used when referring to Ferid, Autumn nodded slowly, "Yeah, she mentioned that."

"If we can get in close to their commander, we'll have an advantage," Crowley added before looking over to Ferid, "Where is Krul?"

Ferid smirked and shrugged a delicate shoulder, "I don't know. Pity, seeing as how I know the humans would be quite anxious to get their hands on her more than us."

"She must have been furious when she knew I was gone," Crowley chuckled and grinned to himself, noticing the twinkle of amusement and delight in the elder progenitors eyes.

"Oh, she was," Aries sighed, "Krul tore through all of our units like a hurricane looking for you."

Crowley sent her a sheepish smile, "Well, it was as much your idea as it was mine, so I don't take full responsibility for that."

Shooting him a halfhearted glare, Aries walked over to Autumn and grinned, "Ready to get your hands dirty?"

"Oh, am I ever," Autumn smirked as she took hold of the hilt of the sword on her right, "Alright Darius, lets go play for a while before we pull out your twin."

She felt the hilt pulsate in approval against her gloved hand as she pulled out the magnificent fanged sword, ignoring the small gasps coming from Yuu's group behind her. With a small giggle in amusement, she swung the sword in two rotations before walking forward. There was an eerie aura that began to surround her, making it difficult to even stand close to her. However, to those who knew of her companions, they knew it was because of the demons residing in her blades that caused the fluctuation.

Aden unsheathed his own weapon and began following her, but Crowley beat him to it. He gave the tall, bulky male an indignant look before hearing Aries sigh.

"Let them go and follow up after they get a head start," Aries smiled, "Besides, I want to see Eusford fight considering he's rumored to be the strongest fighter in Japan."

Mika stepped up to her and as he watched the two nobles approach the group of Moon Demon Army soldiers rushing up to them with their weapons brandished, "When should we make our move?"

"Hmm, now I suppose," Aries looked at him, "Ferid and I will offer support as you all push forward. Might as well have the strongest combatants in the front with us equally skilled and strong in the back, that way you guys won't be touched."

Shinoa looked at Aries and nodded in agreement, "If that's settled, lets get started then."

Ferid watched in delight as all of Shinoa's squad summoned their demons, each one holding tightly onto their signature weapons while they each got into position, "Isn't this lovely! We're all going to get along splendidly as we fight the resistance."

"Well, we're going to try," Shinoa said, although she wondered if she'd made the bad mistake of replying to Ferid as he shot her a closed-eyed grin.

Yuu grimaced at the two while Mika also looked less than impressed, "Come on, lets go. We can't let Autumn and Crowley get too far ahead of us."

As they began to move, familiar green arrows launched overhead and landed not too far off from where they were headed. At first, there was guilt building up in the pits of their bellies at the thought of attacking their own kind, the humans, but it was entirely unforgivable in regards to what they were doing. Kureto Hiragi had to be stopped, even if it meant joining the vampires and fighting with them.

All of Shinoa's team, including Narumi and Shinya, knew this all too well.

* * *

 **Shitty place to end this, but the next chapter is where all of the fighting is. I didn't really want to start typing that out in this update because it would have ended up hella long and left me without anything for a second half, so I made the decision to string y'all along one last time.**

 **But on a good note, Autumn is going to fight in the next chapter! :D**

 **I'm also going to do as much as I can to make sure each character gets their moments to shine, as well as seen how certain someones deal with Guren once they come face-to-face with him! Goshi and the girls will also be showing up, so that'll be exciting!**

 **Lot's to look forward to next update, that's for sure! So because it's going to be such a jam-packed chapter, I doubt I'll be updating any sooner than the end of next week.**

 **Since I start school in September, I will be rushing to finish this series along with one other and most likely stop writing until I think of some sort of schedule that works for everything. Unfortunately, I don't know how long that will be as homework will come first, but I'll see what I can do! I definitely enjoy writing and I think of this, Fanfiction in general, as a hobby and don't want to abandon my hobby and do strictly school work. :)**

 **I love y'all so very much, and hope you guys are staying cool with the heat if it's super hot in your areas and hope you are enjoying your summers otherwise! :)**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


	14. CH XIV

**Hello all, and welcome to one of the last chapters to the series! :D**

 **This is possibly the longest of all the chapters, but it's also the one that has the most detail. I put a lot of love and effort into this one, so hopefully it turns out good for all of you like it did for me! :)**

 **Before we begin, I just want to say another huge thank you to you wonderful followers and reviewers! I love you all! :'D**

 **I want to make this very clear as a user privately messaged me (politely, too, which is rare) to ask me why I'm not following along with the manga, even though I'd made it very obvious in the beginning chapters. As I'm sure all of us fellow Seraph fans are aware, new chapters are being released monthly, so it's impossible for me to know exactly what's going on before I release my own update. There's also the face that I've already altered this story to host my two OC's, two high ranking progenitors with Krul Tepes leading the vampires to battle. In the manga, she's captured by Ferid Bathory and currently MIA (well, if you've read the latest chapter you know what's up). So please bare that all in mind my lovelies!**

 **There's A LOT that goes on in this update and it bounces around quite a bit, so I apologize if things don't seem too smooth. I really worked hard in the span of two weeks to write this out, so if I've left anything out or didn't go into detail with particular characters, it's not something I forgot about, it's just something that may or may not have fit into the scheme of things. :)**

 **Also, I did read this over for mistakes, but if I've missed anything I will get to it soon. Once I finish the story I will be doing a full edit! :)**

 **NOTE: English speaking, as well as demon communication. That will be represented like _this (bold and italics)_.  
**

* * *

 **\- x -**

 **An Interesting Twist**

 **CH XIV;;;**

 **The Final Battle – Part II of III**

 **\- x -**

* * *

 _"Have you ever given thought to what would happen if one of us were to die?"_

 _Autumn turned to look at Aries with a guilty look on her face with a piece of rock candy sticking out of her mouth, "Hmm?"_

 _"... Really?" Aries took a moment to compose herself before sighing, "This is serious, Autumn."_

 _"Yeah, yeah," Autumn waved her off as she finished her sugary treat, "What would happen if one of us were to die? The other would continue with how things were going, of course."_

 _With a frown, Aries followed Autumn as she walked out of her office and onto the adjacent connecting balcony and watched as the older noble leaned against the railing._

 _"Serious answer," Autumn suddenly said, "Let's say for example that I was to be captured or killed, you already know what I'd ask of you to do. As much as it would bother you at first, I'd want you to take over Canada and follow in my footsteps. Aden would be here to help, so you would be taken care of."_

 _Aries nodded slowly, "I know that you've already secured my future, but–"_

 _"Unfortunately, one of these days it's bound to happen. We may be immortal, but we're not indestructible as we may think we are," Autumn gave her a slight grin, "I have faith in you to do what I couldn't, so don't worry about it."_

 _There was a moment of silence as the two momentarily relaxed._

 _"If it was you, I'd probably slaughter the human who killed you and the entire army that they came with," Autumn said in a sardonic tone, "No mercy, even if I am a pacifist most of the time."_

 _Aries giggled and sighed softly, "I wouldn't expect any less from my mentor and creator."_

 **\- x -**

"Do you think we can stop them from releasing the Seraph?" Yoichi asked in a low voice as he poised himself to release another one of Gekkoin's arrows.

Shinya chuckled lightly and smiled as he continued to watch for openings to fire his own attacks, "Of course. If our team manages to get close enough to kill Kureto, we may not see the Seraph this time."

"I doubt they'll have any trouble," Yoichi said with confidence.

"Agreed," Shinya said in a light tone, "In regards to that, we should focus on the areas that need more coverage. So, you take the left side of the battlefield and I'll take the right. When we start to clear out the targets, we'll meet in the middle of fend off whatever is in front of Autumn."

"Deal," Yoichi agreed, shifting his position to where Shinya instructed.

. . .

"Alright," Guren turned to Kureto, "We have a clear visual of the Second Progenitor, as well as the Thirteenth Progenitor. I'll be going now."

Kureto nodded with a smirk, "Just know that I will not tolerate failure."

With a wave of his hand, Guren dismissed himself and made his way down the platform towards his team. Goshi was the first to look over and greet him, followed by Sayuri, Mito and then Shigure. Guren gave a brief nod of acknowledgement before pocketing his hands and sauntering passed them.

"We have our orders, so lets get to it."

Goshi frowned and nodded slowly, exchanging knowing glances with his three female companions before following Guren closely.

"Are we going to the front to help the men fighting the nobles?" Shigure inquired, eyeing the lieutenant closely as he shrugged his shoulders.

Guren cast a look over his shoulder, "Our mission is to capture four nobles in particular, however our priority is the Second Progenitor and the Fifth Progenitor. Their names are Autumn Winters and Aries Marlo."

"We're going after two high-ranking progenitors just a we are?" Goshi's brows shot up as his eyes widened, "What the hell, Guren?!"

"They're our orders," Guren said nonchalantly, "Besides, we'll be fine."

"Are we to kill them once we've captured them?" Mito asked with a frown.

With a shake of his head, Guren pulled his hands from his pockets and stopped walking, "No. We are to incapacitate them and capture them. Kureto wants to enroll them in the Black Demon series."

Goshi nodded slowly, "But, there's four nobles where we're going?"

"Thirteenth Progenitor Crowley Eusford, and Seventh Progenitor Ferid Bathory are there with Autumn and Aries," Guren smirked, "All of Japan's progenitors are here for the fight, but we have particular orders. If we can, we are to also capture the Third Progenitor, who is the vampire Queen, Krul Tepes."

A tight, grim line pulled at Goshi's lips but he nodded reluctantly.

 _I just hope Shinya knows what he's doing..._

"Guren!"

All five squad members turned to see two vampires, presumably twins, nearing their area after killing seven of the Moon Demon Army's men. Guren's lips pulled into a smirk as he unsheathed Mahiru-no-yo.

"Well then, seems it's time to begin."

. . .

Autumn tore through a group of ten humans with ease, using only the blade wielded in her left hand to slash a quick wave of energy to push them all back. Each was sent flying backwards into another comrade, who tumbled back due to the crushing force of colliding with each other. She couldn't help but smirk, feeling the energy pump through her without even allowing her companion to prod her for the extra power. Of course she didn't need it, but if the Seraph was to show itself, she may indulge just to keep her and her friends alive for a little longer.

If it meant sacrificing herself to protect her comrades and the humans who so bravely trusted her, she would do it in a heartbeat.

She had made it halfway through the Moon Demon Army's third battalion when she finally hit a stronger resistance, noticing that they were carrying weapons similar to that of Yuu or Kimizuki. She grinned at that, poising herself to ready for attack or to parry. They narrowed their eyes at her and got into stance.

"We have orders to capture this noble," One said with a cold tone, "We're not to kill her, so disarm her and then inject her with the serum."

Autumn's brow rose at the mention of a serum, her eyes instantly following the movements of one of the five standing off to the side with his weapon poised in one hand, and a vial filled with what looked like liquid silver in the other.

"Attack as a unit and we'll take her down!"

Autumn let them make their first move, as to gauge their strategy and how powerful they really were. Much to her dismay, they were all wielding strong weapons held by weak hands. _Disappointing_. She quickly knocked each of the weapons out of their grasp and picked them off one-by-one, leaving the human holding the vile for last. She disarmed him easily, twisting his arm in a brutal way so that it snapped in two places, forcing his hand to open and drop the vile to the ground.

"I pity you guys," Autumn watched him with indifferent eyes, "Empty soldiers that have been conditioned to follow an unmerciful bastard that led you into a death trap."

The human struggled angrily against her despite the pain and spat, "It's you that is going to regret coming here," He cried out in pain as the progenitor snapped his arm in another place, "They're going to make you wish you had stayed where you came from, bloodsucker!"

"Is that so?" She suddenly released his arm, only to lock her clawed fingers tightly around his neck, "I'd like to see them try."

He began gasping for breath as she began to crush his airway, "A-Arrogant... Vampire– _guhh_!"

Autumn watched his body as he unceremoniously hit the ground in a heap, before she leaned down to carefully pick up the discarded vile to examine it. Lifting it to her nose, she inhaled while she let a few drops drip down, memorizing the subtle hint of something she couldn't quite identify.

"Darius," She glanced down to the sword in her left hand, "Any idea what this might be?"

She extended her arm so her sword was being held out in front of her before pressing the pump of the needle down to let a drop of the silver liquid touch the jagged blade, watching as it was instantly absorbed into the steel. She frowned when she felt her companion pulsate angrily, waiting until the temper of her demon partner died down to ask him for his opinion.

"Well?"

 ** _"Those humans seem to have vendetta against you. It's poison that would even affect us demons in high concentration. The dose in that vile in your hand would be more than enough to knock Mathias and I out along with you."_**

"Great," She muttered, holding the vial out to the side above where the human she'd just straggled to death lay and pressed the pump until the vial emptied all over his still body, "So then, they know exactly what they're up against. How the hell did they find out so much about us when I made sure there was no information to be had?"

 ** _"That I'm not sure of, but you best be careful. I'll activate the curse and take over your body should I feel our lives are in danger. I won't be used by a filthy human, so tread carefully,"_** Her demon, Darius, paused for a moment before chuckling cruelly, **_"Or better still, I could reduce you to ash before you get yourself humiliated by getting us both killed by a piece of human scum."_**

Autumn rolled her eyes, "Are you in a bad mood today, Dar? Usually you're a little more understanding than this. Besides, you know if you kill me that the humans will take you. You and your brother are trapped in these swords, so watch yourself."

He chuckled again, but that was all.

Gathering herself up again, Autumn observed the area for any signs of humans who may be carrying more of the vials, so she gripped the hilt of her sword and pushed forward.

When she got farther passed their lines, she came to abrupt halt when her eyes landed on a man that matched the description of the one she was supposed to help.

"Well, well, seems we found you first," Guren grinned, "Autumn Winters, the Second Progenitor I presume?"

Autumn's eyes narrowed as she took in the male, her eyes landing on the black blade with a distinct red stripe down the middle. Recalling a conversation her and Shinya had before they met up with Crowley and the Williams twins, her lips pulled into a smirk as she held Darius in position to attack or defend.

"Guren Ichinose," Autumn watched his face twitch slightly, "I've heard a lot about you, as well as your ex-girlfriend in that cursed blade of yours."

Guren also poised himself, waiting for the Second Progenitor to make her move first, "Then you know that it won't be so easy to take me on."

"I've fought against cursed gear before and I know how the whole possession shit works," She eyed him carefully, also letting Darius assess their opponent from within the confines of her mind, "Don't think that a few little fireworks and smooth swordsmanship will be enough against me."

"Fairly confident in yourself, aren't you?" Guren smirked, "We'll see."

Autumn's gaze flickered to behind the tall human, noticing he had four others behind him readying for the fight that would inevitably begin.

"I didn't think those bloodsuckers used two weapons," Mito narrowed her eyes slightly

Goshi stepped up and grinned, "Too bad we have to fight her, she's awful pretty for a vampire."

"Get your head in the game, Goshi," Shigure said as she prepared to fight.

Sayuri frowned as she stepped towards Shigure, "We shouldn't underestimate her."

"You're right," Mito agree.

Autumn glanced at each of their faces, memorizing them as she recalled the descriptions Shinya had given her a few days ago to prepare for this moment. However, a chuckle caught her attention and drew her eyes back to the man standing in front of them all.

"So, you're a duel wielding bloodsucker," Guren began to taunt, "Seems you have a taste for matching pairs, like those twins we fought earlier."

Autumn's eyes narrowed at the mention of Brian and Orion, and as Guren continued, her blood began to boil.

"It's too bad you couldn't see the looks on their faces before we killed them," She watched as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the matching silver pocket watches that Autumn gifted them a long time ago, "I think they even mentioned you and your companion before they turned to ash. You must have meant a lot to them, since they _were very sorry they disappointed you."_

A shudder ran down Autumn's spine as Darius began to feed off her anger, pulsating in her hand at the feel of her desire to kill the group in front of her.

"I suppose you could say that I have a thing for twins," Her voice was raw and low, making Guren's eyes narrow ever so slightly, "My blades are also twins, and they don't take too kindly being used for vengeance. Picky creatures, demons are."

Mito and Shigure immediately got into a fighting stance while Sayuri and Goshi watched with wide eyes as the progenitor pulled out her holstered blade in one swift motion.

"You aren't the only ones to use cursed gear, little humans," Autumn gripped Darius's twin, Mathias, tightly in her hand.

Had Guren not been watching his surroundings, the sudden attack coming from above might have killed him. Managing to avoid the blow by mere seconds, Guren jumped back so he was standing with his team as Crowley straightened up with a grin.

"Hello _commander_ ," Crowley propped a hand on his hip while he slung his hulking red blade over his shoulder, "Fancy running into you here."

Goshi watched as Autumn stared at the Thirteenth Progenitors back in shock, but he pushed that aside as he reached under his clock and into the special holster for his pipe.

Mito and Shigure tensed up and got into their stances once they recovered from the intrusion while Sayuri prepared her spells to summon her sword.

Guren watched the two vampires and smirked, "Well, well, if it isn't Nagoya's monster, Crowley Eusford."

Autumn suddenly glared at the back of Crowley's head, momentarily ignoring the humans she was about to rip apart, "Where the hell did you come from?! I told you to follow behind!"

"I caught the scent of blood and rushed over, but I was too late," He never looked back at her, narrowing his ruby gaze at Guren while he spoke, "I watched this man kill Orion while his companions killed Brian. I felt that I owed it to you to come and help you avenge them, since I couldn't reach them in time to stop it from happening."

"This is all very touching," Guren pulled out three seal spells to prepare for enchanting, "But I think it's time you pay attention to whats around you."

Autumn whipped around and blocked three kunai that were aimed for her, watching as Shigure darted to a different side to get a better angle. Her eyes shifted from her to Mito, who was closing in on the gap between her and Crowley with her fist weapons activated.

Crowley glanced back and grinned, spinning around in one rotation before slamming the red haired woman in the side with his leg, sending her flying back into Sayuri, who had been preparing to ambush Autumn from behind with several other army members that had joined them.

"Ah, I see more of you humans have joined the fight," Crowley assessed the situation as he stepped closer to Autumn, "How do you want to do this?"

Autumn's eyes locked onto Guren, "I can't kill him, but I don't think they'd mind if I cut off his arms for what he did to my boys. They would probably be upset if we killed the rest of his team too, so lets keep them all alive."

"Oh?" He questioned, moving his body to shield Autumn as he deflected two arrows from the long range fighters and more kunai, "You made a deal with those kids you were with?"

Guren's brows furrowed as he listened to them talk, but he waited for an opening so he could begin the first step to his strategy. As far as capturing the nobles one at a time, he had to calculate his steps carefully considering he was faced with two of the strongest progenitors in Japan now that Crowley Eusford had joined the fight.

Autumn stepped around Crowley, spinning on her heel to deflect another onslaught of weapons fired at them with Darius before parrying a blow with Mathias, "I did, and I plan to see my end of the deal through."

Crowley chuckled and grinned, "I wouldn't expect anything different."

"Goshi!" Autumn's eyes landed on Guren once more, "Let's begin!"

"Got it!" Goshi exhaled, releasing the magic from within his pipe to mask the area with a powerful spell.

. . .

"Damn it!" Yuu growled, watching as another one of the army's men fell after being struck down by Kimizuki, "Where the hell are they all coming from?!"

Shinoa looked over to him and frowned, "Brother Kureto must have sped up the regular training with all of the new recruits in order to populate their army for this war."

Mika struck one of the enemies through his chest with his blade before pulling away with a harsh tug, "I'm surprised they haven't released the Seraph yet. What are they waiting for?"

"Are you sure you really want to know?" Aries walked over, followed by Aden and Ferid, "Does anyone know where Autumn and Crowley got to? We can't let them get too far away from us."

"No, but I was supposed to stick with her," Kimizuki frowned, "The last time I saw her she was staring off in a certain direction and then took off."

Ferid crossed his arms and grinned, "Perhaps she saw something of interest. There must be a human around here that could offer her a little bit of a challenge."

"She might have found that human you were looking for," Mika looked at Yuu, "Is she found Guren, she might have gone straight for him."

Yuu's eyes widened, "Then we need to go and find her! If she found Guren, we can help her!"

"You're not going anywhere Yuu," Aries looked at him and met his hard gaze, "I was asked to see to it that you were protected, so you won't be going anywhere passed our lines. Aden will stay here and help keep you safe, while I go find Autumn."

"Guys!" All eyes turned to Narumi, as he and Mitsuba returned to their group with a living Moon Demon Army member being hauled behind them, "We managed to get this one to talk."

Ferid watched with amusement as Narumi pushed the man forward, "Well then, tell us what it is that you know."

The man looked at Ferid with a fearful expression in his eyes as Aries and Mika stepped forward, "N-Narumi! How could you help the vampires?!"

"Just answer his question," Narumi ground out, trying not to sound disgusted at that very fact.

The man looked over his shoulders at him for a moment before facing the vampires in front of him, inhaling deeply before he finally spoke, "Our orders are to capture the nobles and bring them to Kureto alive. We also got new directives, and that was to capture Krul Tepes or Autumn Winters to use them as part of awakening the Seraph."

"What?" Aries narrowed her eyes as she gripped his jaw roughly, "Why them?"

He struggled to speak with her iron grip on his face, "They need the blood of a high ranking progenitor, as well as human blood and lower ranking vampires in order to summon the Seraph."

"They didn't last time. When Guren attacked us that day, he killed several vampires and a lower ranking progenitor," Shinoa stepped forward to block Kimizuki from threatening him, "Is there something else you're not telling us? Or has my brother been vague with his orders?"

The man looked at Shinoa and instantly recognized her as Mahiru's younger sister, "That's all I know..."

"Alright," She looked at Aries, "You better go then."

Aries snapped his head to the side as she released him, turning sharply on her heel to walk away from the group. Ferid cast the man a final look before following silently behind her.

"She's mad," Aden frowned slightly, glancing towards Yuu as he spoke, "It'd be best if you all listened to her now and not argue with her orders. Stay here, and let her find that human."

Yuu opened his mouth to argue but Mika cut him off, "Yuu, just do it."

"What about that vampire Queen?" Mitsuba looked at Aden, "Who is going after her?"

"She should be with a lot of her men, as well as some of our own," Aden closed his eyes momentarily before looking to the left side of the field, "We're going to go meet up with Lucal and Stephan so I can leave you in their care until I get back. I'll go and look for Krul myself."

Mika narrowed his eyes, "Lucal Wesker hates humans. He's the least trustworthy of all the Japanese nobles. We can't trust him with this group."

"Stephan won't let him touch any of you guys," Aden looked at Mika, "He has some of our troupes with him, so you'll all be well protected. Besides, if Lucal does try anything, Stephan is more than capable of holding his own. He'll put him in his place."

Mika didn't seem convinced, but Aden was in no mood to argue.

"Just trust me kid," Aden growled as he ran his fingers through his messy locks, "Come on. We don't have much time."

Narumi let go of their prisoner, watching as Aden gripped him by the collar of his uniform and gave him a sharp pull, snapping his neck in a clean break the instant his body flung forward. He dropped the man to the ground without a second thought and motioned for them to follow, ignoring the hateful glare he was currently receiving.

"I thought you didn't kill humans?" Narumi scoffed.

Aden continued walking as they reluctantly followed, "He was the enemy. Even if he talked willingly, he was still someone who needed to be killed."

Shinoa looked up at Aden after exchanging looks with Mitsuba, "Why are you going after Krul Tepes yourself?"

"You could say I fancy her," The tall Lieutenant General suddenly grinned, shooting a look over his shoulder towards the group following behind him, "Not very often you meet a woman like her, specially not in my lifetime."

Both Kimizuki and Narumi felt like vomiting while Mika looked at the ginger haired vampire in slight shock.

When they made it to where Lucal and Stephan were, Aden quickly explained the situation to them while ordering the Canadian vampires to protect them along side their commanders.

"You must be joking," Lucal sneered, his eyes landing on all of their faces, leaving Mika for last, "How disgusting. What could that insufferable woman want with all of _these_?"

Aden fought to keep the scathing glare off his face, "Autumn wishes to employ them when we return to Canada, so I would do well to make sure not even a hair on their head is missing for when she comes to check on them. I think you should know better than anyone what happens to those who don't follow orders."

"That woman doesn't scare me," Lucal looked at Aden, "You should know that Krul was here not long ago looking for Crowley Eusford. If he knows what's good for him, he would have returned instead of hiding away with that mate of his."

"He followed Autumn when she went to go and hunt down the human's commander," Aden crossed his arms, "Which direction did Krul go?"

Lucal motioned with a jut of his head, "She was headed towards the west side of the field to go and prepare to attack where the humans are rumored to have their Seraph."

"Damn it," Aden whipped around to Stephan, "Protect them and don't let them out of your sight. I need to go now."

Stephan nodded slowly, noticing the urgent look on Aden's face as he took off running in Krul's direction.

. . .

"Kureto, sir!" Aoi rushed over towards the Lieutenant General, who turned to look back as she approached, "We've confirmed that the Third Progenitor is on her way here. Shall I put the plan into motion?"

Kureto fully turned around and walked towards her, "That won't be necessary. I'll be handling her myself. Any news on Guren's squad?"

"None yet, sir," Aoi followed him closely as he walked down the platform steps, "However, the Seraph is progressing nicely and only needs the required noble sacrifices to be ready."

"Not much longer then," He smirked to himself, "I suppose sacrificing one of those progenitors will be for a better cause."

The two made their way over to one of the commanders Kureto had hand picked named Hachiro Goro, who turned to face them and bowed respectfully.

"Lieutenant General Hiragi," Hachiro straightened up, "We've confirmed that the vampire Queen is approaching our lines and will be in our hands shortly. Are we to capture her alive?"

Kureto nodded, "See to it that the rest of her army is killed, but take her alive. I have no update on Guren's progress, so we will take the chance that is in our hands to capture one of our high priority targets."

"Understood," Hachiro turned to his men, more so focusing on his long-range weapon users, "When we have a clear sighting of the Queen, attack her troupes as planned. Once she has been separated from them, fire at will."

"Sir!"

Meanwhile, as Krul and her army approached, her ruby eyes narrowed at the new formation the Moon Demon Army was attacking in and decided to tread with caution.

"Men!" She whipped around to face her remaining soldiers, "The humans are changing their strategy and will most likely release the Seraph soon. Don't make any reckless moves!"

"Ma'am!"

Lacus, who was positioned as one of Krul's bodyguards alongside Rene, exchanged a grim look with his partner before following the small pinkette as she neared the front of the humans lines, "Those fickle little humans always seem to panic at the last minute, don't they?"

"Focus on the task at hand, Lacus," Rene chastised, "If we let the humans capture Queen Krul–"

"Don't even entertain the thought," Krul cut in, sparing a glance over her shoulder towards the two, "I'm not stupid enough to fall into their hands, however..." Her eyes flashed the human troupes approaching and narrowed, "should they manage to thin our numbers, by any means necessary, find Aries or Autumn and bring them to me."

Lacus and Rene both looked at one another and nodded, "Understood, Queen Krul."

"Good, now get ready to fight."

Krul watched as the humans lined up in a straight formation before getting the signal from their commander to proceed, also giving her troupes the go-ahead to attack. Humans and vampires charged towards each other for the final clash, while Lacus and Rene stood firm and waited for any humans who may pass through their unit to get to the Queen.

Meanwhile, Krul looked over to see a familiar crate being suspended high in the air and growled, knowing that it could be at any moment in time that the Seraph would show itself. She was also watching for the strange black spikes to protrude from the box like the previous invasion, knowing full well that there needed to be a lot of blood sacrificed on both ends to summon the angel into their midst. As she contemplated how to proceed with destroying the crate and killing the human that was the Seraph's host, she caught sight of a tall male dressed in honors approaching her from the side. The two guards beside her, as well as several others who remained close to her, all turned and got into position as he approached. She noticed he was accompanied by one other, and felt her lips quirk at the edges into a grin.

"So then, you must be the Lieutenant General reigning supreme over all of these soldiers," She watched as he and his female companion stopped but made no moves to reach for their weapons, "Kureto Hiragi, I presume? I've heard a lot about you."

He chuckled and smirked, "Well, if that's true, then you should surrender now before I humiliate you in front of your kingdom."

"You dare insult Queen Krul!" One vampire spat out angrily.

Rene glanced over to the man who spoke and frowned as he muttered, "Don't let that silly human get a rise out of you."

"You think it will be that easy, do you?" Krul uncrossed her arms and began walking forward, "There was a human who came at me with the same attitude before, only he was possessed by his weapon. I spared his life on a whim, but I don't think you'll be so fortunate."

"Boldly spoken," Kureto reached for the hilt of his sword, "I'm not like the other soldiers your kind has fought."

Krul watched him and cracked her knuckles, "We'll see."

The woman behind Kureto also reached for her sword, leaning slightly forward to prepare for attack as she watched all of the vampires surrounding the Queen brandish their weapons at the ready.

"Aoi," Kureto never looked at her, but he knew she was ready, "The vampire Queen is mine, so deal with the rest of the filth, will you?"

"Understood," Was all she said before she lunged forward with surprising speed, slicing through an unprepared Sanguinem guard and ready to attack another.

Krul grabbed one of her soldiers by the back of their cloak and harshly yanked them back, narrowly escaping the cursed blade Aoi was using to cut down her guards. With a snarl, two guards rushed towards her to attack, only to be cut off as Kureto ran passed them as he activated his weapon.

"Prepare to be sacrificed, vampire!"

Krul braced herself so she could either attack or defend, only to be roughly thrown to the side as Aden's sword caught Kureto's attack with a thunder-like crash that echoed all around the area. The ginger haired male grinned, noticing how infuriated the human in front of him looked at that moment.

"Seems I was just in time," Aden chuckled, "You better leave this to me and get the hell out of here, Krul. Go find Autumn and Aries and then get the hell outta dodge."

Aden swung his sword to the side to knock Kureto's out of harms way before swinging his fist, connecting with the Lieutenant General's cheek with enough force to send him flying back. Aoi looked over in panic as Kureto's body hurled passed her, but she had no time to voice her concern as two more guards attacked her simultaneously.

Krul glared up at him, "Why the hell are you here? And what do you mean go find Aries and Autumn? Autumn isn't even here!"

"She is," He glanced over to her, "The reason Crowley disappeared was to go and find her, and now she's here with a bunch of humans. They're all helping fight this stupid fucking war, but now things have changed. They need one of you higher ranked progenitors in order to summon the Seraph, so that's their new objective."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she watched Kureto pick himself up off the ground, "I see," She walked closer to Aden and gave him a cautious look, "If Autumn's here, why did you come looking for me?"

"No thank you for saving your ass?" He mocked, "I came here to warn you and to help protect you, Krul. You may not know this, but where I'm from, if you harbor feelings for someone, you make damn sure that you fight for them. With that being said, I'll be damned if I let a human be your undoing."

Krul stared up at him in shock, "You..."

"Get out of here and go find those two," Aden repeated, "Leave this asshole to me."

"Heh," Kureto wiped the corner of his mouth off with a gloved hand as he stood up, "If you think you can defeat me that easily, then I'll simply use you both as sacrifices."

Aden smirked, "Pretty words coming from someone who just took a right hook to the face and is barely standing."

Kureto prepared himself once more, getting into position and readying to activate his curse when a large explosion from the other side of the battlefield drew all eyes. His lips pulled into a grin, knowing that the only soldiers capable of creating chaos of that magnitude would be Guren's squad.

His guess was correct when the tall, male vampire who just arrived looked over towards the rising smoke with an urgent, worried expression on his face.

"Fuck," Aden cursed angrily, "That was where Autumn and Crowley were supposed to be."

Krul looked over and narrowed her eyes, "That wouldn't have been enough to kill Eusford, so calm down. He won't let anything happen to Autumn."

"To the contrary," Kureto cut in, now extremely close to the two and aiming to pierce Aden with his activated gear, "They have their orders to acquire both Autumn Winters and Crowley Eusford, by any means necessary."

Aden dodged the blow just in time, hooking his arm around Krul's waist as he jumped back a few feet to put some distance between them and Kureto. There wasn't much time to act as the Hiragi general sprung forward again with his blade cackling in yellow electricity that had Aden's eyes narrowing.

"Get out of here!" Aden tossed Krul several feet aside and parried Kureto, bracing his blade to protect himself as he looked towards Krul, "Now!"

Krul hesitated for a split second, watching as her men struggled to fight against Aoi and how Aden was risking his life to keep her safe. She wanted to laugh at the irony, knowing the man who proclaimed to have feelings for her would most likely hate her once the entire war was said and done with.

"You don't order me around, Maxwell," Krul cracked her knuckles and dashed forward.

. . .

Autumn braced herself for an attack as the smoke began to dissipate, her ruby eyes carefully scanning around the small perimeter she'd created for herself to see if she could spot Crowley or even catch his scent. There wasn't any blood spilled from either sides during the explosion, so she was as lost as any of them were at that particular moment in time.

 ** _"It seems that human you are supposed to assist once captured is quite crafty and knows his way around spell craft,"_** A dark chuckle echoed in her head, **_"You'll need to be more careful."_**

Autumn sneered, "Don't patronize me, Darius."

 ** _"You know better than to anger our host,"_** Another deep voice grumbled, **_"Ignore him, Autumn. Lets focus on finding that human that you're supposed to help and defeat him."_**

"Agreed," She nodded, "He's the commander, so if we slow him down, we'll have the advantage."

The sound of crunching gravel and stones from behind her forced her body to pivot with swords at the ready, only to feel a sense of relief when her eyes landed on Crowley.

"Don't scare me like that," She inhaled deeply.

He nodded once before looking around, "I couldn't find those humans in the immediate area, so they must have taken off somewhere to regroup."

"You took a hit for me," Autumn frowned, walking towards him as she took both hilts of her swords into one hand and reached out to touch his wounded shoulder with the other, "You shouldn't be so reckless."

Crowley chuckled, "I hardly feel anything, and it's healing quite nicely," He pat her hand gently with his own before looking down at her, "I sensed Ferid and Aries heading this way, so when they get here, we'll be able to surround those humans and kill all of them."

Autumn was about to reply when footsteps rapidly approaching them tugged at her attention. She quickly turned on her heel to face whoever was running towards her, seeing the smoke part as Guren came charging forward with his blade ready for anything. Taking Mathias back into her right hand, Autumn pushed off the ground with inhuman speed and met him halfway, clashing swords with the male as he heaved in a heavy breath.

"Guren, listen to me," Autumn's eyes narrowed as she caught his comrades scents and heard Crowley begin to move, "It doesn't have to be like this. If you don't surrender I'll end up forcing you to."

Guren chuckled and smirked, "Surrender to a vampire? I don't think so."

"You have family who wants you to come to your senses you bloody idiot," Autumn ground out, pushing him back as she stepped forward, "Think about those kids that you paired together in that five-man squad. They're all here fighting to get you back, Guren. Are you really going to let their effort die in vane?"

She could see a sudden flicker of sadness in his eyes before his face hardened and his strength somehow increased, managing to hold her off as she prepared to take another step.

"Shut your mouth, bloodsucker," Guren narrowed his eyes, "Like I'd believe that you're here with Shinoa's squad. They took off weeks ago."

Autumn felt like slapping the taste out of his mouth," Oh, for the love of..."

Leaning back, she got enough momentum to slam her forehead down onto Guren's that caused his to ricochet backwards in surprise. She took the opportunity to launch Darius against his blade, Mahiru-no-yo, hoping to dislodge his grip to separate the two but it wasn't enough.

The minute his eyes met her own once he recovered, she instantly noticed a change in them.

 ** _"He's possessed. Whether that human is aware of it or not, his demon is currently in control,"_** Mathias warned, **_"Be careful. We all know this demon is fairly strong, and obviously knows its way around vampires."_**

Autumn nodded slowly, readjusting her position as Guren stood up straight with a twisted smirk on his face, "It's nice to see that you've come out to play."

"What? Not going to charge at me recklessly?" Guren's shoulders began to tremble as he held back his laughter, "Probably a smart move, vampire."

"Tell me, what should I call you now that you're in control, demon?" Autumn paced to the side, matching Guren's movements as he began to circle around her.

A round of laughter erupted from his lips as he smirked at Autumn, "You're so smart, why don't you tell me?"

"Sorry, but where I've been for the last little while was fresh out of working technology, so you'll have to humor me," She grinned back, watching and waiting for the two to make a move.

And then he did.

Guren moved with inhuman speed towards her, only to be cut off as Mathias pressed against his chest with strong force, holding him off from his attack before sending him flying back through the smoke. It didn't stop him, however, as he charged forward again to meet Autumn's blades in a clash of fast slashes and jabs.

"What's the matter?" Guren's voice was ringing, unlike the tone he'd used with his human self, "You seem to be slowing down!"

Autumn glared as she parried and dodged all of his attacks, knowing she would have a lot of very angry and upset humans should she choose to retaliate. It would have been much easier to silence him by cutting off his arms before letting one of her own demons sink into his flesh, but she would have to wait for the precise moment in which she could separate Mahiru-no-yo away from him.

"You seem distracted," Guren smirked, "Are you worried about that other vampire?"

Autumn blocked an attack that was aimed for her left shoulder and glared, "He's more than capable of handling himself. Besides, I wouldn't be so concerned about him as I would be for your friends. They're not going to be enough to take him on."

"We'll see about that," Another chuckle.

As Guren and Autumn slammed their blades together to create enough force to push themselves back away from one another, Autumn caught the familiar scent of Aries and Ferid as they approached. Her lips pulled into a tight smile, not enjoying the fact that she would have to trust that Ferid would watch her back, but she had no say in the matter.

"Ah, seems we have some more vampires joining us," Guren straightened himself and looked over Autumn's shoulder, seeing two figures approaching through the thin layer of smoke still clinging to the area, "If it isn't the Fifth Progenitor, Aries Marlo. Looks like we have the Seventh Progenitor, Ferid Bathory as well."

Aries walked over to Autumn with her hand tightly gripped around her blade as she narrowed her eyes at Guren, "Is this the man?"

"Yeah," Autumn nodded, " _We can't kill him._ "

" _Why not?_ " Aries eyed her momentarily.

Autumn looked at her and then to Ferid as he walked up to stand beside his mate on her other side, " _I promised Shinya that I would help them try and separate him from his demon. Although, I'm thinking it's going to be a little more difficult than I'd originally thought. It's obvious this isn't the first time that Guren's allowed himself to be possessed, so it's going to make things very tricky now._ "

" _Well, I'm sure they won't mind if we have to cut his arms off,_ " Aries looked right at the tall male, noticing he wasn't attempting to make a move just yet.

A grin pulled at Autumn's lips, " _Man, I think you've spent too much time around me, kid. You took the words right out of my head._ "

"Where's Crowley?" Aries asked, skirting her way around an embarrassing situation.

She motioned over to where the sounds of commotion were, albeit still being hidden by smoke, "He's over there fighting all of Guren's squad."

"Ferid, why don't you go and help him?" Aries turned to her mate, who gave her a grin, "I think I'm going to help Autumn from here and explain to her what's going on."

Ferid nodded and bowed slightly for dramatics, "Your wish is my command."

Guren watched the exchange and smirked, "So, you two must be lovers," Both Aries and Ferid locked eyes with him, "I suppose that means if I kill one of you, the other will come after me. I'll have to make that work in my favor."

" _You know they want to use us to create more cured gear, but they're in a hurry to capture you and Krul,_ " Aries lifted her sword and aimed it at Guren, " _Apparently they need the blood of a high-ranking progenitor to complete the ritual to bring that Seraph to life again._ "

Autumn's brows knit, " _Figures. I knew there had to be a reason why there were so many humans trying to incapacitate me but weren't going in for the kill._ "

" _Yeah, so we have to be careful,_ " The blond noble stepped forward, "Ferid."

In the midst of the moment Autumn almost didn't recognize the classy noble, watching as his face became hard and his eyes were devoid of all the glee and amusement she was so used to seeing. She could carefully see the calculated look in his eyes, as well as the way he steeled himself when he turned his gaze towards the current threat.

"I'll say this once," His tone was even but both Autumn and Aries could tell there was something a little too raw that made him seem more dangerous, "If I feel like your life is being threatened, I will kill him."

Autumn watched as he used his enhanced speed to quickly head over in the direction where Crowley was currently fighting, "Well now, I guess he does have a serious side to him."

"Yeah..." Aries seemed breathless, and to Autumn's keen eyes, slightly shaken up.

"Can we move this along?" Guren said in a bored tone.

Aries recovered fast and glared at Guren, "Fine by me. Age before beauty."

Guren chuckled and disappeared, using the amplified curse that came with the possession to rush forward in hopes to catch the blond noble off guard. However, Autumn was faster, and blocked his hit while spinning around to elbow him in the side, sending him to the ground with a loud thud.

"Thanks," Aries muttered, "So, what's his deal?"

"He's being possessed by the demon in his weapon," Autumn slammed Mathias into the ground before reaching down, gripping the back of Guren's collar tightly while stepping on his blade to keep him from using it against her, "I know from experience that it takes a lot for a human who has been well trained to lose themselves to a demon, so I wonder, what happened to you that made you lose control, Guren?"

He cackled darkly at her as he looked at her with sharp eyes, "Clever girl. Then again, I figured those pretty swords you had weren't just for show."

"Cut the shit. We've already established that my swords are cursed, so answer my question before I break your arm," Autumn lifted him higher into the air, "What happened that pushed you to lose control?"

Guren remained silent for a moment before lifting the hand that was free of a weapon, "You want to know why I lost control? Listen closely and I'll tell you."

Autumn's eyes snapped open wide as Guren, who had flicked his wrist to drop a vial filled with the silver liquid into the palm of his hands, swiftly moved his hand to slam the needle point into the Second Progenitors arm. She shakily drew her gaze towards the vial, watching as the poison drained out of the needle and felt her entire body pulsate. While the silver liquid ran through her system, she could feel both Darius and Mathias attempt to cleansing her body with a provoked curse, but it was too late.

"D-Damn it!" Autumn dropped Guren as he fell to the ground in a heap. She stumbled back before she landed down on one knee beside Mathias, slamming Darius into the ground to use both blades to brace herself from falling over, "Fuck!"

Aries watched in shock as Autumn's body began to shake while a dark aura circled around her, "Autumn, don't do it!"

"We can't," She ground out in a raspy voice, feeling both of her demon companions shaking from within her, "This shit affects them, too..."

A shrill laugh suddenly cut through the air as Guren ran a hand over his hair, "It was specifically created with the idea that we could completely knock you bloodsuckers out cold so that we could transport you safely and without incident. We never dreamed we'd be up against a vampire that could handle cursed gear, but that Kureto, he's paranoid. He wanted it so that we could control anything that got in our way, and she fell for it hook, line and sinker."

Aries growled dangerously at Guren as he continued to laugh, "You bastard."

"Aries, I..." Autumn's eyes blinked several times, trying to fight against the effects of the serum he'd injected her with that was causing her to slowly drift into unconsciousness, " _I..._ "

By the time the blond progenitor had turned to face Autumn, she'd already fallen forward and hit the ground without a sound. The black aura emitting from her twin blades had also begun to recede, and were soon void of all demonic presence as they remain planted in the ground on either side of their host.

"Autumn..." Aries eyes widened, " _Autumn!_ "

. . .

Shinya's eyes narrowed as he scanned the area from his perch with Yoichi, "This isn't good," He furiously looked for their comrades, but more in particularly, a certain black haired progenitor, "I can't find Autumn anywhere."

"Maybe she's over where that explosion was?" Yoichi shifted, aiming his demonic bow towards that surrounding area before using the enhanced scope to get a better look, "I see some figures still over there, and one of them looks like her mate."

"Hmm," Shinya also shifted, aiming his rifle towards that area and waited, "You're right. It looks like he's fighting a few human soldiers, but I can't make anyone out."

Yoichi remained silent for a moment before his eyes narrowed, "Hey, wait, I think I can make a couple of them out," He squinted, searching the depths of his memory quickly for any recognition when finally, he caught sight of Goshi and Mito, "It's your old squad!"

"What?" Shinya's eyes widened slightly, and soon he too saw as Mito blocked a swift punch from Crowley and back flipped away from him, "That must mean Guren's close by. He wouldn't have been assigned another squad for this war."

"Can you see him?" Yoichi turned to Shinya.

The blond shook his head, "No, not yet, but keep looking."

"Okay," Turning back to his weapon's scope, Yoichi watched for any signs of their former leader, "I wonder if Yuu and the others will be able to catch up to them."

"I don't know, but something tells me things aren't going to plan," Shinya felt a sense of dread the minute his eyes landed on Ferid, "That other noble is there, meaning Aries is nearby. Something must have happened for those two to go and join Autumn and Crowley so soon."

Yoichi frowned, "Do you think one of them is in trouble?"

Shinya nodded slowly, but chose not to voice his suspicions. His crystal blues continued to scan or any signs of either Autumn or Guren, when finally the smoke cleared completely and his vision set on a grim sight.

"She..." Shinya's hand gripped the lengthy part of his rifle tightly and he stared down at the scene in his scope, "Autumn's down."

"What?!" Yoichi turned to Shinya alarmed before he searched eagerly to find what it was Shinya was looking at, when he finally caught sight of the Second Progenitor laying flat on the ground between her blades with Aries looking down at her with a horrified expression, "But, how?"

"Damn it," Shinya released his hold on his rifle before standing up, "This has to be Kureto's doing. I knew he was trying to create some sort of weapon to use against the vampires, but not like this."

"Shinya?" Yoichi watched as Shinya raised his Byakkomaru and began searching the other side of the battlefield, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find Kureto," He said as he balanced the nose of his weapon on a broken railing to give him more stability, "If I can find him and land a hit on him, we may get an advantage."

Yoichi nodded, "Should we warn the others?"

"Not yet, although we should signal for one of them to meet with us to find out if anything's changed," Shinya focused his attention on the farthest side of the field and caught sight of some of the vampires who had been last spotted protecting Krul, "We'll continue to take out any enemies until the last possible moment, and then we'll go from there."

"Got it!"

Inhaling a deep, silent breath, Shinya readied himself when he'd finally caught sight of Kureto, "Alright brother Kureto, let's even the score, shall we?"

. . .

"Sir!" One of the Canadian vampires rushed over to the small group surrounding Stephan, who was devising a strategy for all of the humans he was asked to protect to participate in the fight, "I've got some bad news."

Stephan turned to the soldier and frowned, "What is it?"

"It's Autumn," The man said, watching as all of the humans tensed considerably, "We think she's been killed, but she hasn't turned to ash."

"What?!" Stephan's hands curled into tight fists, "What the hell happened?!"

Mika watched the Canadian vampire with wide eyes, "That's impossible."

"One of the Japanese soldiers saw a human inject her with something, and roughly two minutes later, she dropped to the ground and hasn't moved since."

Yuu clenched a fist and glared, "Tell us who the hell did that to her and we'll go and find them!"

"No you're not," Stephan snarled, losing his composure at the thought of his commander being defeated by a human, "You're all staying right here while I go and find her."

"Sir," The vampire cut in again, earning a sharp glare from the usually calm and collected Major General, "It's also been confirmed that the Williams twins have been killed."

A tense silence fell over the group at the reveal, as all eyes landed on Stephan, who looked as though he was ready to slaughter the soldier in front of him.

"Go and find Nicholi," Stephan ground out, "Bring him here by _any means necessary."_

The vampire nodded quickly and took off faster than the eyes could follow.

"Stephan," Shinoa turned to the rigid vampire, "Let us go and find her. If we work as a unit, there won't be a reason for us to worry."

Stephan ran his fingers through his dark brown hair as he cracked his neck with a sharp twitch to the side, "This is the last time I'll say this, so listen carefully. You are to remain here while Nicholi and I go to find her."

Shinoa felt her entire body go cold at his dark tone, but Yuu ignored all of the warnings and stepped forward with a fierce glare.

"We have to go and find her!" Mika stood close to him in case the Major General lashed out, but was surprised when he only looked at Yuu with narrowed ruby eyes, "She's your leader! You can't just wait for another one of your allies to come and then go find her! We have to go now!"

Stephan growled, "Human..."

"My, my, what a display," Lucal mused as he walked over, "Do my ears deceive me, or did I really hear that Autumn was taken down?"

Even Yuu, as enraged and passionate as he was to go and find Autumn, backed down as Stephan looked at the Seventeenth Progenitor. He could feel Mika and Shinoa, who had been standing the closest to him, reach for him to pull him back by his arms while off to the side, Narumi, Kimizuki and Mitsuba watched carefully without uttering a sound.

"I'd watch what you say, Wesker," Stephan narrowed his eyes, "That's my leader you're mocking."

Lucal chuckled and crossed his arms, "She was a nuisance that invaded Japan and somehow has Krul Tepes under her thumb believing she's what will save our kind from the humans and their Seraph. If you ask me, it's about time someone puts that _woman_ in her place–"

Mika was suddenly in front of Yuu and the others as Stephan grabbed Lucal by the throat and slammed him down onto his back, creating a small crater in the ground upon impact. Even Esther didn't move, watching as his lord and master struggled to release himself from Stephan's iron grip around his throat.

"I'll say this once Wesker," Stephan leaned close with a snarl, "Insult Autumn Winters in front of me again, and come hell of high water, I'll tear you apart piece-by-piece."

Lucal growled at the man who had him, jumping away from him once Stephan's grip had loosened up even slightly, "How pathetic, to see a noble like yourself getting so worked up over a female who means nothing to you."

"What did I just say?" Stephan snarled again.

"Stephan," A thick accent broke the tension as both Lucal and Stephan turned to see Nicholi walking towards them, "Calm down. This isn't the time to be taking your rage out on something insignificant as this."

Stephan nodded and turned around, "You've been updated?"

"Yes, and I know more about what happened," Nicholi crossed his arms and looked towards the humans of Shinoa's squad, "She was injected with a substance that the humans are using against all of the nobles in order to knock them out so they can be collected and used for whatever purposes the humans want. Mel Stephano and Zane Lindau were both being targeted, but Annabelle and Richard stopped the humans and managed to collect a sample of the poison. I also watched a human use this poison on a lower ranking progenitor, so I can verify that it is a very real threat. Not even a minute after he was injected, he dropped and was out cold."

Stephan sighed deeply, "So, not only do we have the Seraph as a threat, but now the humans have created something that can incapacitate a noble as strong as Autumn or the Queen?"

"That's right," He nodded, "We need to regroup with Aden, Aries, her mate and Autumn's mate. If we combine our attack power, we should be able to gain the upper hand."

"Aden's already reached the other side and would be with Queen Krul now," Stephan looked at Shinoa's squad, "I'm assuming since you're former Moon Demon Army members that you know about their Lieutenant General?"

"Yes. He's actually my brother," Shinoa admitted.

Stephan narrowed his eyes, "You're a Hiragi?"

She nodded, "Yes, but I left the army in order to help protect Yuu and the others. He would probably have me executed if he could."

"Well then, it's safe to assume that you hold no ties to him? No second thoughts?" Nicholi looked at her.

Shinoa shook her head with a smile, "Nope, none at all. I don't condone him hurting any of my friends or comrades."

"Good," He turned to Stephan, "Lets go find Autumn's body, and then go to give Aden our assistance."

Yuu glared at the vampires, "What are you going to have us do?"

"Help," Nicholi ignored the incredulous look Stephan gave him, "What?"

"I have orders to keep them back here and protected," Stephan crossed his arms, "They're not coming with us."

Nicholi waved him off, "I'll deal with Aden for disobeying orders. We'll need all the help we can get. Besides, their intel on that general will be valuable."

"Fine," He conceded, "But when heads start rolling, I won't be there to back you up."

A smirk pulled at the Major Generals lips, "I didn't peg you as a coward, Major General Stephan Guilling."

Shinoa and Mitsuba grinned at one another as the tall brunette, who had so viciously attacked Lucal Wesker not even ten minutes ago, crossed his arms and looked the other way as if he was pouting.

"Lets not waste anymore time," Mika looked at the two Canadian vampires, "The quicker we get to Autumn and find out what happened, the faster we can get to Krul and help her."

"That's right," Narumi frowned, "If Kureto gets his hands on Krul, we're going to be in serious trouble."

Kimizuki took a good look at everyone before inhaling deeply, "I hate to be the one to ask this but, would it be better if we split up?"

Both Stephan and Nicholi looked at one another in contemplation, "That might be a good idea. We've already wasted enough time as is it arguing over this, so I'll take half of the humans and go to Aden."

"Fine," Stephan nodded, "And I'll go after Autumn with the other half."

"I'm going with you," Yuu clenched his fist, "I Just have this gut feeling that where Autumn is, Guren's not too far away."

Mika looked at Yuu and then to Stephan, "If he goes with you, then I'll be going as well."

"Count me in," Shinoa smiled.

Narumi looked at Kimizuki, "We should go with Mitsuba and Nicholi. It's going to be ugly up there," His eyes glanced towards Mitsuba momentarily before locking with Kimizuki's, "if you catch my drift."

"Yeah," Kimizuki nodded in understanding, knowing full well that he meant Aoi Sangu, Mitsuba's older sibling.

Mitsuba glared, "Don't patronize me! I know what needs to be done."

"Just let us look after you," Narumi glared back, "If we have to kill Aoi, that won't be a good scene for you."

Shinoa placed a hand on the blonds shoulder and smiled sympathetically, "Hopefully it won't come to that, but instead of arguing, just let the boys do their job."

She reluctantly nodded, turning to Nicholi as he walked over to Kimizuki and Narumi, "Let's do this."

"Alright," Stephan cracked his knuckles, "I'll send back up if I can once I know more of Autumn's situation. Aries and her mate should be there too, so this should be an easy win."

Nicholi turned to walk away with the chosen three following, "Don't make a very big mistake and get cocky, Stephan."

. . .

"Autumn..." Aries shakily reached down to touch her progenitors back before gently nudging her, "Autumn... Wake up."

Guren watched and smirked, "It's no use. She'll be out cold for at least a few days."

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Aries snarled.

"I know, I know, how dare I hurt your precious friend," He gave a shrug of his shoulders, "She's going to be very vital to our experiments, and maybe someday you'll meet her in battle."

Aries stood up straight and aimed her sword at him once more, "I said, shut your fucking mouth."

"Oh, I'm scared," He reached down to pick up his sword before facing the angered vampire, "You're three ranks below Autumn and you think you can threaten me?"

"I'm not the one you should be worried about," Aries's eyes flashed behind Guren.

He had seconds to react, as Crowley's sword swung down and crashed into the ground with a fierce swing. When Guren finally looked at the vampire, he noticed the usually bemused and _friendly_ noble was void of all emotions. He looked like a sculpture, with only his eyes left to reveal how he truly felt.

Guren moved to attack him but was sent flying back as Crowley swung himself around and delivered a mighty kick to his side, sending him crashing into some debris a few meters away.

"So," Aries watched as Crowley approached Autumn's still form, "Where do we go from here?"

Aries frowned as Crowley leaned down and scooped Autumn's unconscious form into his arms, skillfully cradling her against his chest while having his sword ready for action.

"He injected her with something, and according to him she could be out of it for a few days, if not longer," Aries looked over to Guren, as he slowly picked himself up off the ground after slamming into a large chunk of rock, "Where's Ferid?"

Crowley gave a nod of his head in a particular direction, "We thought we caught sight of the train car that the Seraph is in being engaged, so he went to go meet up with Krul. One of your men also ran by with several of those humans Autumn wants to protect, so he probably will join them in the fight."

"You let him go by himself?!" Aries glared, knowing her mate had some sort of vendetta against the Queen and could possibly use this opportunity to make a move against her, "And what do you mean you saw one of my men?"

"He insisted," Crowley looked right at her, "It was that blond Major General, Nicholi I believe his name is."

"Look out!"

Aries spun around quickly to try and defend herself from an incoming attack, when Mika shot forward and killed the human that had been charging forward. Her eyes widened as she saw Yuu and Shinoa also join them, followed by a guilty looking Stephan.

"Autumn!" Yuu raced over, only to be stopped with a cold look from Crowley, "She's our friend, damn it!"

Crowley's face had no indifference, "She's my mate, and I will protect her until this war is over. Remember than, little human."

"Don't start arguing," Stephan walked over and stood before Aries, bowing at the waist, " _Forgive my ignorance and choosing to go against orders. Aden had instructed me to keep the humans out of the line of fire, but they insisted on joining us._ "

Aries stared at him for a moment before smiling small, " _It's alright. Now that you're all here, we can deal with_ him."

All eyes turned to Guren, who was finally on his feet and watching them all with narrowed eyes.

"Guren..." Yuu took a step forward, only to have Aries clamp a hand down on his shoulder.

She was surprised with his lack of abrasive response, "Don't. He's the one who did this to Autumn, so we'll deal with him."

"You can't kill him!" Yuu suddenly exploded, "Autumn promised to help us! We need to find a way to–"

"I know what she promised!" Aries cut him off with a sharp glare, "He gave her that shit to incapacitate her, so I'm going to return the favor."

Sheathing her sword, Aries cracked her knuckles and walked forward. Yuu bristled as he watched her near Guren, but Mika held him back. Shinoa also stood beside him, giving him a sympathetic look before turning her attention to Aries.

"So, you're going to beat me up in front of the kids?" Guren said with a grin, "That doesn't seem very kind for a human-loving bloodsucker."

Aries snorted as she prepared to attack, "I might be a human-hugger, but that doesn't mean I won't punish the idiots who mess with my family."

* * *

 **Okay, so I decided last minute to turn this into three parts due to the length and my lack of time due to Biochemistry taking up all of my spare time.**

 **The next part won't be as long, but it will be the conclusion to the entire battle and one of the last chapters to the story. I estimate probably three more chapters will be posted, and then maybe an epilogue.**

 **So, as to not give anything away or make comments about who has fallen and what happened to certain characters, I'm going to bid you all a good day and leave my schemes for when I update with the final part of the battle. Like I said, it won't be as long as this chapter, but it'll have lots in it~ ;)**

 **Also, if you haven't read the latest chapters of the Seraph of the End manga, I highly recommend it! A lot's going down and things are starting to get realllllyyyy good! :D**

 **I love you all so much and thank you all for the views and favorites! Your support means a lot. :)**

 **~ Kayori, out!**


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